The Gloaming
by nikkipattinson
Summary: When Bella Cullen and her family arrive in Forks, WA, they turn Edward Masen's boring life upside down. Will discovering their secret end his life or is it his key to eternal happiness?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**No copying of this work, no reproduction of this work, no created downloads of this work, and/or no linking of this work to another website is allowed without the express written permission of the author.**

**_The Gloaming _copyright 2009 nikkipattinson**

_**The Gloaming**_

By: nikkipattinson

**Prologue**

Well, here we go. Another school year; another nine months of suffering. Each year is the same. Same faces, same teachers, same types of classes. Same Edward Masen. I was named for my grandfather. He died before I was born. I wouldn't mind being called Ed or Ward (just not ever Eddie), but my mom insists on Edward. Very antiquated, but I can't say no to Renee.

Nothing changes in Forks, Washington. I've made it to junior year and I'm still unpopular and boring as ever. I've lived here since my mom moved back from Arizona to live with my grandmother. Mom was pregnant with me after a fling with a guy named Charlie. I finally got the name out of her on my fourteenth birthday after a temper tantrum of epic proportion. But only the first name. She probably doesn't know his last name. Not that my mom is … well you know. She's just… spontaneous. Anyway, she moved back here to the rainiest, dreariest place in the United States so that Gran could help her with me. I was just barely eight when Gran died. The only mother I had really had was gone and I was left with Renee. I had to grow up fast; someone had to take care of Renee.

My life pretty much consists of school, work, and taking care of Renee. It sounds worse than it is. I'm well on my way of becoming valedictorian when I graduate. I must get that from the Charlie guy. My mom was the popular cheerleader in school who didn't care about grades. I on the other hand, love getting the "A's". I love being the smartest person in school. I don't mind the name calling by the jocks. I'll be the nerd, I can handle it. It mortifies my mom though. She doesn't see me for what I am. She actually thinks I'm good-looking. I've tried to tell her that red hair and green eyes do not a model make. She insists on calling my hair "bronze". She thinks my height is handsome. I think it makes me stand out, so I stoop a lot. She has an elevated opinion of me.

I must have also gotten my clumsiness from "Charlie" too. I am less than athletic. Again, a thorn in Renee's side. She probably wishes I was more like Mike Newton, jock extraordinaire. I work for Mike, sort of. I have an after school job at Newton's Sporting Goods. Mike's dad owns it and therefore, Mike thinks I work for him. I let him think it, seems to make him happy and it keeps him off my back at school. He and the rest of the "in crowd" tend to pick on me and my friends, Ben and Angela. They call us the "Nerd Herd". Very original, don't you think? Ben and Angela started dating about six months ago. They've known each other since Kindergarten and have just now realized that they "like-like" each other. I picked up on it a couple of years ago. I still don't understand why it took them so long to see the obvious. It leaves me as the third wheel sometimes. I have a lot of time to study.

See why I say same old, same old. Its Forks, nothing changes. I can't wait for graduation.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter One **

As I drive into the parking lot of Forks High School for the beginning of my junior year I notice something unusual. A shiny silver Volvo is parked in my spot. We don't really have specific assigned spaces, but I started parking there last year and I'm kind of attached. I maneuver my antique of a truck into another spot down the row. Who is that? It's a really nice car. Not even Mike Newton has a car that nice and his family is one of the richest in town. It's by far the nicest car in the lot. You can almost smell the new car interior from here. It can't be a teacher's car; they park in another lot. And a teacher probably couldn't afford a Volvo. Who is it?

As I stand with the group surrounding the Volvo staring at it, I realize that I'm about to be late to English. I'm never late. I detest late. So I tear myself away from the "oddity" and run to the English building. This is not a good idea. In my haste, I trip over the door facing while entering the building and drop my books. This is a typical thing for me. I trip a lot and this is not the first time I have dropped my books, nor will it be the last. My notebook slides across the hall and bumps into a red high heel shoe.

Before I can reach my notebook, a pale white hand bends down and picks it up. "Does this belong to you?" I can't even speak. The girl talking to me is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. She definitely does not belong in Forks. She should be in New York working as a model. She has to be at least 5' 10" and has hair the color of spun gold. And her eyes. They're topaz. There's no other way to describe them. It's a color that I have never seen before. They're not brown or hazel, but gold. They're just slightly darker than her hair. And her voice… there are no words to describe the sound emanating from her lips.

"Um, yeah. Thanks. Sorry it hit you." I stammer. I've never been very good at talking to girls (especially attractive girls), but I sound even more idiotic trying to talk to this beautiful creature.

"It's okay," she says as she turns and walks into my English class. I stumble in behind her and notice that every head is turned in my direction. They aren't looking at me of course, they're looking at her. Who can blame them? She walks to the front of the class and hands her pass to Mrs. Morgan, who also is staring with her mouth slightly open.

"Hi, I'm Rosalie Hale. I think I'm supposed to be here for English." She's in my class. I would've sworn she was older. She's waiting for a reply from a person in a coma. Finally, Mrs. Morgan stammers out a yes and hands Rosalie a book and directs her to an empty seat. She then attempts to start class. No one is listening to her. We're all staring at the new girl. We can't help it. She doesn't seem to notice that every eye is on her. She's sitting there flipping the pages of her textbook. She looks bored. After about 30 minutes, people begin to pull their eyes off of Rosalie and start to pay attention to Mrs. Morgan's introductory lecture for American literature. When the bell rings Rosalie rises gracefully from her desk and exits into the hall, completely oblivious to the eyes following her. In the hall she meets with a mammoth of a guy. They take each other's hands and walk out of the building. She's been here one day and she already has a boyfriend? And what a boyfriend! He is huge; at least as tall as I am, but muscled like a bodybuilder. His hair is jet black and his skin is pale like Rosalie's.

"Hey!" Ben says as he catches up to me just outside of the English building. We have trigonometry together in the math building. "Did you get a look at the Arnold wannabe in the English building? He's in my class, Man. I thought that Miss Knapp was going to drown in her own drool looking at him. The girls in class couldn't tear their eyes off of him."

"I only saw his back. But, you're right, he's huge. The girl he walked out with is in my class. She's pretty unbelievable herself. Everyone, guys _and_ girls, were staring at her. I don't think anyone heard a word Mrs. Morgan said." I know I hadn't.

"I wonder where they came from." Ben says as we entered trig and take our seats. I wonder the same thing. They are definitely not from Forks.

Just then two new faces walk into the room, hand in hand. The guy is blond, like Rosalie, but tall like her boyfriend. He isn't quite as muscular as the other guy. He has the same topaz eyes as Rosalie. The girl is small. That really isn't the right way to describe her. She is the tiniest person I have ever seen. If she is five feet tall she'll have to stretch straight up to reach it. And she is thin. She walks gracefully into the room, almost gliding. Her hair is dark brown and cut in spikes. It's a fitting haircut for her. And her eyes are topaz too and they're both pale as ghosts. That's weird. They look alike, but they don't. They walk gracefully to the front of the class and present their passes to Mr. Varner. He reads them and hands them each a book.

"Class, this is Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale. They will be joining us this year. Why don't you tell us a little about yourselves?"

Jasper looks like he could kill Mr. Varner right there. I can't blame him. Being new in school is bad enough without the teacher calling you out in front of the whole class. Alice squeezes Jasper's hand and speaks for both of them.

"Like Mr. Varner said, I'm Alice and this is Jasper. We just moved here from Alaska. We're really excited to be here." She then drags Jasper to two empty desks in the back near the door. Wow, her voice is as amazing as Rosalie's. Jasper has a pained expression on his face. He doesn't seem to want to be here. The first day at a new school has to be hard. I wouldn't know; been stuck here in Forks my whole life.

Mr. Varner starts class then, but I can't pay attention. Jasper and Rosalie have to be twins. They look too much alike to not be, but Alice is different. Except for the skin and the eyes; those are the same. The skin could be because of living in Alaska, I guess. But the eyes… they're strange. I've never seen a color like that before. It's so distinct. Suddenly the bell rings and everyone files out of class. I didn't hear anything Mr. Varner said. I hope this isn't indicative of the next nine months. I don't want to jeopardize my 4.0.

"Tell my lovely lady, that I will see her at lunch," Ben says as he heads to history and I turn to go to economics.

"Will do." I have economics with Angela. I can't wait to tell her about Alice Cullen and the Hales. I don't think that my description will ever do them justice. She'll have to see for herself. Even then she may not believe it. I'm finding it hard to believe that three people that beautiful would live in Forks.

"Hey, Edward. I saved you a seat." Ah, Angela. She knows how I hate the front row, but she loves it. I guess I'll have to suffer through the front row for Economics this year. Oh well, maybe it will help with the concentration problem I seem to be having today.

"Hey, Ang. Ben says that he will see you at lunch."

"I wish we could have every class together like last year. This sucks, only having three classes together."

"Well, at least you have me," And someone to wish for, I think. "Listen, have you seen the new kids?" I'm about to tell Angela about my morning, when I notice that her eyes are no longer on me. I turn in my seat to see Hercules coming in the door. He is holding onto Rosalie's hand and looking at her like she is the only person in the room. Actually, everyone in the room is looking at her with similar expression.

"Oh my god," Angela says slightly under her breath. "Who is he?"

"Angela, earth to Angela. Snap out of it. Remember Ben?" How fickle the teenage heart.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just… look at him. Look at her!" She points conspicuously toward the couple coming through the classroom door.

"I already have," I say as I push Angela's arm down. Pointing is rude and I really don't want the big guy to get offended. "That's Rosalie Hale. I have English with her and I think it's her brother in my trig class. His name is Jasper. Ben has English with the mammoth there. I don't know his name."

"They're …amazing." That's an understatement.

"Yeah, that seems to be the consensus of the entire class." All eyes are on them as they walk to the front of the room to give their passes to Mr. Perry.

"Ah, Mr. Cullen and Miss Hale. Welcome to Forks. I hope you are being welcomed by your fellow students." Mr. Perry isn't looking at them directly. It's obvious that he's trying to not gape at them.

Hercules speaks up then and says, "Yes, sir. Everyone has been very nice. Thank you." Good, Lord. He has a booming voice! It's like a cross between a tuba and a bass drum. Do all of these people have symphonic voices?

"Well, class, this is Emmett Cullen and Rosalie Hale. They come to us from Alaska. Let's all make them feel welcome. There appears to be two seats in the back row. Please take them and we'll get started." Mr. Perry turns to the board and lets out a loud breath, like he'd been holding it in the whole time.

"Wow." Angela hisses at me. "Did you hear that voice?"

"How could I miss that? He must be the brother of the girl in trig with Ben and me. Her name is Alice Cullen." They have to be siblings; same last name. But the only features that they have in common though are the eyes and the pale skin. It's just so strange. It's the oddest eye color I have ever seen. And all four of them share it. The skin too is so pale, but not pasty like me. They almost glow. Finally, something different in Forks.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

Angela and I meet up with Ben for lunch. As we sit at our table I notice that the new kids have taken a table against the far wall of the cafeteria. And there are five of them now. Where did the third girl come from? She rivals Rosalie in the looks department. She is actually a little prettier. She has long, wavy chestnut colored hair and that pale skin. And the eyes. The same topaz eyes! What is up with that? Do they all have contacts? As I'm staring at her trying to figure out the eyes she suddenly turns and stares straight into my eyes. My heart skips a beat as I draw in a breath. My God, she's beautiful. There is no contest; this girl is far more beautiful than Rosalie. Her eyes narrow and she seems to be trying to look through me. No, not through me… into me. It's almost like she's trying to figure out what I'm thinking. I quickly look away. That was weird, and a little uncomfortable.

"That's Bella Cullen," Ben says.

"What?" I'm still trying to figure out what just happened. I feel a little lightheaded, like I stood up too fast and got a head rush.

"The one you were staring at. The brunette. Her name is Bella Cullen. She's Alice's sister."

"She must be the big guy's sister too," Angela adds. "Same last name, but they don't look alike."

"Except the eyes," I mutter. They have got to have on colored contacts. Gold is not a natural eye color.

"What?" I must have said that louder than I thought. I really hadn't meant for Ben or Angela to hear me.

"Um, nothing. Just thinking out loud, Ang. You must have had last period with her, huh Ben? Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah," asks Angela, "did you?" A lot of implication in that question, but she's smiling. She's probably just teasing him. She really has nothing to worry about. Ben is devoted to Angela and this Bella girl is way out of his league.

"Well, yeah I did. She sat next to me. It was the only seat left. I asked her if she liked Forks so far. She said that she did and thanked me for asking. That was it, I promise. I was just being polite." He's looking at Angela, almost pleading with her to forgive him. He's such a sucker.

"I'm playing with you, baby. I don't mind if you talk to her. I trust you." She doesn't have any reason to not trust him.

The look of relief on Ben's face is hilarious. I just shake my head. Their little exchanges are funny… sometimes. Sometimes they're so sweet I get a toothache just being near them.

I know Ben though. He had more of a conversation with the new girl than he's letting on. How else would he know that she's Alice's sister? He has more information than he's letting on. I'll have to get him alone later and get the rest of the conversation out of him.

I see movement out of the corner of my eye in the direction of the new kids and turn in time to see Mike Newton approach the table. His eyes are on Bella. He saunters up to the table and places his hand on the table next to Bella's. She looks down at his hand. She appears to be uncomfortable with his hand that close to her hand. She moves her hands under the table. He's talking to her. She nods to whatever he says and then she smiles. Something isn't right about her smile. It's too… wide. It looks like snarl. It's almost like an animal baring its teeth. Mike takes a step back. Then he shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at the floor. He says something else and then walks away. I see Alice kick Bella under the table. Bella looks at her with annoyance on her face and then her lips move very quickly. She suddenly snaps her head around and glares at me. I look away quickly, but not quickly enough. She has to know that I was watching the whole exchange. She probably thinks that I was eavesdropping. That must be why she looks so mad.

"Hey, quit staring at her, it's rude, Man." Ben is right. It is rude and she is way, way out of my league. She would never be interested in a dork like me. Mike has a better chance and it looks like she has shot him down cold. She must have high standards like her sisters. Good for her. She's out of his league too.

They all get up at the same time then, as if on cue, and go to throw their trays away. That's when I notice that none of the food on their trays has been eaten. They haven't eaten a single bite. It doesn't even look like anything has been touched. That's strange.

"What are you thinking about?" Ben snaps me back to reality.

"Huh?" How long have I been lost in my own thoughts?

"Dude, you haven't heard a word we've been saying for the last ten minutes. What are you thinking about?" Have I been staring at them that long? Geez, I can't tell Ben and Angela that I've been sitting here analyzing the new kids. Ben would have too much fun with that admission.

"Ah, you know me, thinking about next period history." I hate history. It's just boring memorization. There's no real challenge to the subject. It's not like science or math. Those subjects can really challenge your mind. It's also one of the classes I have alone. Alone meaning without Ben or Angela. I have other friends and people I talk to, but Ben and Angela are my support system. They really know me, so my dorkiness isn't as off-putting. It's hard to appear normal when they aren't around.

"You've got biology after that, Edward. You like biology and then we'll see you again in PE." She's right; I do like science, but PE… ugh.

"Ugh, PE." I hate PE more than history. I am _not_ athletic. I trip over my own feet 90% of the time. PE is my personal hell. Balls, rackets, nets, all weapons of mass destruction in my hands. Most everyone in school has figured this out and they give me a wide berth.

"We won't let you kill anyone with your clumsiness. Relax. Hey, maybe you'll have a class with Bella." Ben is not helping. I really don't need the beautiful Bella Cullen as a distraction this year. Funny how her name suits her perfectly. Bella…beautiful. Beautiful Bella.

"Quit your daydreaming and get to class, Loverboy." Angela teases me out of my own mindless fantasies.

"To history with me. See you guys in PE." I head to the history building. It has started to rain slightly. I flip up the hood of my rain coat. It's a good idea to always wear a raincoat in Forks. It rains every other day. This is another reason I don't understand living here by choice. I'm going to college somewhere sunny and dry, like Arizona. I enter the classroom and hang my coat on one of the hooks by the door. As Mr. Harrell starts class I notice that none of the Cullens or the Hales enter the room. Good, at least one class without the distraction. Why couldn't it have been an interesting class, like trig? Maybe I'll get lucky in biology, too.

The hour drags on. I could gouge my ears out with my pencil from boredom. By the time class ends, it's raining hard outside. I fish an umbrella out of my bag and open it as I walk as fast as I dare to the science building. I don't even try to run like everyone else. I would just end up flat on my face if I tried. The sidewalks get a little slippery when they're wet so I have to be extra careful getting to class. I'm the last person to enter the biology classroom.

"Glad you could join us, Mr. Masen," Mr. Molina jokes to me. Mr. Molina likes me. He likes all of the smarter kids. I have a feeling that he was a member of the Nerd Herd in high school too and he understands us. I smile and shrug at him as I look around the room for an empty seat.

Oh, good Lord in heaven. The only empty seat is next to her. Bella Cullen. Mike is in this class. She must have really rattled him at lunch or he would be in that seat. She is sitting there staring out the window like she's bored. I really don't want to sit next to her. She intimidates me. She's too beautiful. I look around the room, but it really is the only seat left. Mr. Molina motions to it with a smile on his face. He thinks this is funny! Yeah, real funny. Let's sit the nerdiest guy in school next to the most beautiful girl and see what happens. Mr. Molina is probably considering this some kind of social experiment.

I slowly approach the desk. As I put down my books, she turns to me. Her eyes change to black immediately. It's like her pupils completely dilate and cover the entire iris. She's definitely not wearing contacts. She takes in a breath and wrinkles up her nose like she smells something bad. Then she suddenly moves her chair to the far end of the table.

What the hell?! I know that I'm not the most attractive person in the world but this is just plain rude. And, does she think I stink? I try to stealthily check my pits. I haven't been to PE yet and it is definitely not hot out today. I can't possibly stink. What is her problem?

Mr. Molina starts class then and I try to concentrate on the lecture, but I can feel her eyes boring holes into me. Her black eyes. They never change back to topaz and they never leave my face. She's glaring at me as if she hates me. She doesn't even know me, how can she hate me? It's uncomfortable. I glance at her from the corner of my eye and her eyes narrow into even more of a hateful glare. The bell rings and she is gone in a flash. She stared at me for the entire hour with hatred so intense I could actually feel it. I am lightheaded and slightly nauseated, like I'm having inner ear problems.

Mike is at my side before I realize it. "What did you do to her?"

"What?" I'm confused by the question. Shouldn't he ask what she had done to me? I'm the one who needs to sit and put his head between his knees.

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Bella?" He says it like I'm the stupid one in the conversation. I understand what he's asking, just not why he's asking it.

"Nothing. Why?" I ask him as I gather my things to head to PE. Ugh, PE! I wonder if I could get out of it if I claim inner ear issues. I do feel more off balance than usual.

"She was looking at you like you had stabbed her with a pencil or something. What did you say to her? What did you do?" He's leaning into me like he's intimidating me. I guess this posture works on guys his size, but I'm easily six or seven inches taller than him. I imagine the scene looks like a Dachshund threatening a Great Dane.

"I'm telling you, I didn't do anything to her. I didn't say anything to her. Why do you care anyway?" I say this with a hint of a smile on my face. I still have the mental picture of the Dachshund and the Great Dane in my head. I don't think that Mike is finding our conversation funny. He looks ticked.

"I don't, really. Just leave her alone. She's out of your league." He's looking me up and down as if to emphasize the point.

Oh, I see. He wants to ask her out. "I know. You don't have anything to worry about with me. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get to PE." I step around him and head for the door.

"Thanks for the warning," he yells to my back and then he doubles over in laughter. I had PE with him last year. He still thinks it's hilarious that I nearly kill myself and everyone around me with athletic equipment. I _really_ don't like him.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Two **

Ben and Angela are waiting for me at the door of the gym. I guess they can't even trust me to enter the building alone without hurting myself. They're probably right! It will be nice to be around people that like me after the last hour. I'm feeling even more unpopular than usual. I need a hug.

"See, you did survive history," Angela says as I approach. "And you love biology, so why do you look like someone killed your kitten?"

I didn't realize my misery was written all over my face. "I have biology with Bella Cullen," I say with dread in my voice. It was going to be long year in biology.

"Woo hoo, Man! That's great. Did you talk to her?"

"Well, Ben, my friend, I would have, if she hadn't made it abundantly clear that she didn't want me to talk to her." Or look at her. Or touch her. Or breathe the same air she's breathing.

"I don't follow."

"Let's just say that the phrase 'If looks could kill' pretty much sums up the vibe I got from Miss Cullen."

"I still don't get it, Edward. She seemed really nice in history. What did you do to her?"

What is it with everyone today?! "Not you, too. Mike Newton asked me the same thing. I didn't do anything to her. She took one look at me wrinkled up her nose like I had a stench coming off of me and glared at me until the bell rang." No need to mention the eye color change. I probably imagined that anyway.

"Glared?"

"Yes, Angela, she glared. Looked at me with such intense hatred that I could feel it radiate over my entire body. Does that answer your questions?" I snap at both of them as I go into the locker-room to change. I feel bad about it the second I get in the building. I shouldn't have been so obnoxious with them. I'm not mad at them. I'm mad at myself. Why is Bella Cullen hating me bothering me so badly? She's just a girl, a distraction. It's probably a good thing that she doesn't like me. Less to have to worry about this year.

Ben comes into the locker-room then. "Sorry, Edward," he says as he smacks me on the back. "You just stared at her so much at lunch that Angela and I thought that maybe you might, you know, like her, or something."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I snapped. Even if I did like her, and I don't, she would never be interested in me. I mean look at her and look at me." That's the one thing that Mike and I agree on. Bella is out of my league.

"You're a good looking guy, Edward. You just don't see yourself like other people do."

"Yeah, right. That's why I'm beating the girls off with a stick." The only people that have ever found me remotely attractive are Mom, Gran, Ben, and Angela. I think they all need glasses.

"You're a little intimidating, Edward."

"What?" He's kidding, right? Me, intimidating? He is truly delusional.

"You're so smart, Edward. Most girls are afraid of looking like an idiot when talking to you."

"You're delusional," I tell him as I walk out into my own personal hell. Angela is waiting for us holding a basketball. I groan. I hate basketball. I tend to hit people in the head with the ball and fall down… a lot. "Hey, sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be so…"

"Don't worry about it. I understand. You like her and you think she doesn't like you. You're frustrated."

What does that mean? "Um, no. I am most definitely not frustrated. And I do not like her. Geez, will you two give it a rest. I don't need the distraction of a girlfriend." I have got to nip this in the bud before it gets out of hand.

"I'm glad Ben doesn't feel that way. Catch, baby," Angela says as she throws the ball to Ben. "Well, you may not think she likes you, but I think you feel more for her than even you know."

"I don't like your girlfriend right now," I say to Ben as Angela bounces over to the girl's side of the gym.

"She does have that effect sometimes. C'mon, let's get this over with."

~*~*~*~*~*~

I survive the first PE class of the year. And surprisingly so did everyone else. I have to work after school, so I head directly to my truck as soon as I change back into my street clothes. Ben and Angela finally ease up on the Bella thing. As I get to the parking lot, I see the Cullens and the Hales. Of course the shiny silver Volvo is their car. It looks like they're arguing. Actually, they seem to be berating Bella and she does _not_ like it. Suddenly they all turn and look in my direction. I turn to look behind me. There's no one there. They're looking at me… and they don't look happy. I lower my head and walk quickly to my truck. I, of course, trip once I get there and basically fall into the cab. Smooth, Edward, real smooth. Just get in the truck and go to work. I start the ancient engine. It roars to life and the transmission groans as I put it in reverse. I turn to look behind me and see the Volvo flying out of the lot onto the highway. At least I won't have to drive past them in my senior citizen of a truck.

I wonder what they were talking about. They all seemed upset. They must have had a bad first day. That was probably it. That might even explain Bella's attitude in biology. She was probably just tired of every guy in school fawning over her. I was misreading it. Ben said she was very nice to him. That's it. All in my head. Tomorrow will be better.

By the time I arrive at work, I feel much better about the Cullens and the Hales. Sure, they're a little different, but they're from Alaska. Okay, that was prejudicial. I don't really know much about Alaska. It's probably a wonderful place to live. Why am I trying to justify them so much? It's because something is definitely off. The eyes. It's the eyes that are wrong. Not wrong exactly, just not right. How could they all have the same topaz eyes and not the same last name? They couldn't be related and date. This isn't Kentucky after all. Again, prejudicial against Kentucky. I'm feeding into a stereotype. And that brings my mind back to the food at lunch. They didn't touch anything on their trays. Not one bite. That's not right either. Why am I trying to figure this out?

"Hey, quit daydreaming and get to work."

Leave it to Mike to snap me out of myself and tick me off at the same time. "What do you need me to do, Mike."

"My mom wants the aisles swept," he says as he tosses me a dust broom. As it clatters to the floor beside me, Mike can't resist himself. "Nice catch, Masen. Ever consider going out for the baseball team?"

Yes, Mike. I have always secretly wished to wear the same clothes as nine other boys and slap them on the behinds when they score a run. Fun, fun. This is all said in my head of course. No reason to get him started on me. "No, it's never crossed my mind." And I begin to sweep the aisles. Just two more hours and I can go home.

"So, what do you think of the new kids?" Mike is talking to me. Why? He rarely even acknowledges my presence. He must be desperate for conversation.

"I don't think anything about them." I lie. All I've done today is think about them. But it's probably better to not let Mike Newton know this. Why give him ammunition.

"That Bella is hot." What did he just say?!

"I suppose." Hot is an insult to Bella. There is no word to define her beauty. He really has no right to be speaking of her in such a way. He's being disrespectful and too much of a clod to realize it.

"I'm gonna ask her out for Friday night." What, what, WHAT?!

"What about Jessica?" Mike and Jessica Stanley had been dating at the end of the school year last spring, but I wasn't aware of their status. Evidently, their status is non-existent now. Or is he planning to dump Jessica for Bella? How very "high school" of him.

"We're on a break. She wants to see other people, so I get to do the same."

I can't believe he just admitted to being the dumpee. "And you have chosen Bella Cullen. Why not one of the other two?" Please ask Rosalie out so Emmett will crush the breath out of you.

"They appear to be taken. Did you miss the big guy with the blond?" Dang, he noticed.

Of course I hadn't missed him. "Like I said, I really didn't pay them much attention. Was Bella the only one not attached?" I already know the answer to the question, again why give him ammunition.

"Geez, Edward. You cannot be that oblivious to what goes on around you. How old are you again?" He rolls his eyes at me with exasperation.

"Seventeen just like you." Why is he asking my age? He knows how old I am. What a stupid question.

"Never mind." He laughs as he walks off. I'm not aware that I said something funny. Let him ask Bella out. Maybe she'll turn him down. It would serve him right for being so disrespectful of her. I have got to stop obsessing about Bella Cullen.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Renee's car isn't in the driveway when I get home from Newton's. She's working a seven to seven shift at the hospital today. My mom may be flighty, but when I was born she knew that she would have to be able to support us, so she went to the community college in Port Angeles and became a nurse. She usually works three 12 hour shifts at the hospital here in Forks and three 12 hour shifts at a nursing home in Port Angeles every week. Today is the 7 to 7 at the hospital. She should be home any minute. Tomorrow she'll work 5 to 5 at the nursing home and will make it home before me. Standing rule: He (or she) who makes it home first must cook. Renee is great at a lot of things; cooking is not one of them. So, I'm pretty happy when I make it home first.

I'm just putting the chicken and rice casserole in the oven (Yes, I know how to make a casserole. Grandmother, remember?), when I hear Renee's car. "Hey, handsome, I'm home."

"Hey, Mom. How was work?"

"Great. A new doctor started working with us in the emergency department today."

Oh no. "Really. Is he married?" Please say yes, please say yes.

"Why is that always the first question you ask?"

"Oh I don't know. History, maybe. Past precedent." Renee has a "habit" of dating the new doctors that come to town. It usually ends disastrously.

"Very funny. Yes, he is married. It's a shame, too, because he's gorgeous. He is the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on that wasn't on a movie screen."

Thank God! "Okay, that's enough. I'm weirded out now, you can stop. What's his name?"

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

CULLEN! No way! It can't be!

"His kids are about your age. They just moved here from Alaska. Honey, are you okay?"

I must look as shocked as I feel. "How old is this new doctor?" Renee doesn't usually go for older men. Younger men, definitely, but never older and he would have to be at least Renee's age or older.

"Oh, he's young. Not more that 32 or 33 at the most. The kids are all adopted. His wife apparently can't have children, so they have, how did he put it, 'opened their home to older foster children'. And he said it with a slight English accent! So sexy."

"Do you want me to vomit in the kitchen?" She knows how I hate it when she talks this way. No one wants to hear their Mom call someone "sexy".

"You can be so melodramatic. What's for dinner?"

"Chicken and rice casserole. It'll be ready in 35 minutes."

"Good, I won't have to cook anything tomorrow," she says as she goes upstairs to change out of her scrubs. Well, that explains the Volvo. They're doctor's kids. But if they're all adopted, why do their eyes all look the same? I have got to quit obsessing about the Cullens! I have homework to start, I don't need the distraction.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Mom, dinner's ready." We sit down for dinner every night. Gran started this tradition. She said that families that eat together stay together. Mom thinks that it keeps me out of trouble and off drugs. I think they're both right.

"So, did you meet the Cullen kids at school today?"

Will I never get away from these people? "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I have at least one class with each of them and I saw them at lunch, but I didn't actually speak to any of them directly." No need to mention the biology incident with Bella. She'll blow it out of proportion. And, really, I'm not sure what to make of it myself.

"Ah, Edward, why not? You have got to break out of your shell, baby. You have only yourself to blame for your unpopularity. You're a handsome young man, and you get better looking every day. But, you close yourself off. You shut people out. You have got to be more outgoing, honey."

Here we go again. I get a variation of the same lecture at the beginning of every school year. I can't wait to graduate. "I have friends, Mom. You make it sound like I wander through life alone." She thinks I should be in the popular group. She really doesn't see me clearly. I hate to break it to her, but this apple fell far from the tree.

"Okay. I'll stop. I told Dr. Cullen that you were a junior at the high school and that his kids should look for you. I told him that you would be more than happy to show them around."

"Mom! Why did you do that?" I cannot believe her!

"Because I knew that you would need a push, so I pushed." She always pushes. It's annoying.

"I really don't think that they're going to be at a loss for people to show them around. Mike Newton has already zeroed in on one of the girls." The best girl.

"She must be pretty."

"Yeah, I guess." Pretty is an insult for the way Bella looks. She is the definition of beautiful. "The others are all good-looking too. They'll be in the popular crowd for that reason alone. Being doctor's kids won't hurt either. They won't need me." I have no chance. No matter how beautiful I think she is. I would look even plainer standing next to her. It's best that I just not think about it.

"Well, be nice to them if they do approach you. It has to be hard starting a new school in a new town. And they're all orphans too. Just be nice, okay?"

"Sure, sure. Are you finished?" With dinner and the lecture.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll get the dishes. You finish your homework."

I'm happy to not have to endure anymore of my mom's "lecture". I escape to the sanctuary of my room to finish my homework. Before I go to my room I duck into the bathroom and take a long look in the mirror. Why do people keep calling me "handsome"? I don't see it. Oh, well, it doesn't matter. Bella made her viewpoint clear in biology today. She obviously sees me for what I am.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Three**

I dig around under the bathroom sink until I find the bottle of cologne that Renee got me two Christmases ago. I'm not usually a cologne guy, but I'm going to try to talk to Bella Cullen in biology today. I don't want to offend her with a foul odor, imagined or otherwise. I wonder how much cologne is too much cologne.

I see the Volvo as I pull into the lot, again in my spot. Maybe that's how I'll open the conversation with Bella in biology. Mention to her that they're parking in my preferred spot. Maybe if I say it like I'm making a joke, the wall of ice around Bella will melt. We're going to be lab partners for the year. We should try to be friends; or at least civil acquaintances. The morning breezes by quickly. English, trig, economics and the Cullens. Then comes lunch.

"Dude, I wasn't gonna say anything, but, what's up with the perfume?" Leave it to Ben to bring it up. I had kind of hoped that he wouldn't notice. It's sort of embarrassing.

"What are you talking about?" Evade, evade, evade. If I act ignorant maybe he'll drop it.

"I think he smells nice." God bless Angela. She can be a great friend, when she isn't teasing me or making me blush.

"Thanks. And it isn't perfume, it's cologne. I thought that I would try to talk to Bella today and I don't want to offend. She seemed to find me odiferous yesterday. I really don't want the same reaction today."

"See, Man. It's words like that that turn off the ladies. I'm telling you, you are intimidating. What does 'odiferous' mean anyway?"

"It means 'emitting an odor'. Buy a dictionary." My theory is correct. Being in a relationship lowers your IQ several points. What a shame. Ben used to be such an intelligent person. Love doesn't make you blind, it makes you stupid. "Angela, do you find me intimidating?"

"No." See, Ben is wrong. I am not intimidating. "But I've known you forever and am completely immune to your dorkiness. If I didn't know you though, I might find your vocabulary a little intimidating, but you don't need to waste time with a girl that doesn't find that part of you endearing."

I can feel the blush creeping up my neck. I can handle compliments from Renee; I can dismiss those as motherly love. I have a harder time with compliments from Angela and Ben. "Thanks," I mutter and look down at my tray. I really wish that I didn't blush so easily. They're ganging up on me. I hate it when they team up.

As we get to our table I glance over to the where the Cullens were yesterday. Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper are there looking bored. Bella isn't there yet. Maybe she's just late.

"I don't think she's here today."

"Who? What?" I stammer to Ben. He caught me looking again.

"Bella isn't here today. She wasn't in history. I was gonna tell you until you busted out the 'odiferous' on me."

"So I overloaded you brain with one word. I'll have to remember that technique the next time I need you to shut up." Okay, I'm being harsh. I guess I was looking more forward to seeing her today than I thought.

"What is wrong with you? That was way more harsh than necessary." Ben actually looks hurt. I should feel sorry about it, but he's been riding me pretty hard about Bella. Truthfully, I'm getting a little tired of hearing it.

"He's frustrated," Angela says while taking a bite of pizza.

"I am not frustrated!" This is getting ridiculous.

"See." I hate it when she gets all self satisfied.

"Fine. I'm frustrated. I'm intimidating. I admit everything. Are you both happy now?" Angela is right about the frustration… in a way. I really wanted to see Bella today. Something about her is intriguing. I have our conversation already mapped out in my mind. I want to see if my imagination is as good as the real thing. I also want to hear her voice. Her sisters' voices are beautiful. Like well played symphonies. I'm curious about her voice. I'm curious about her. "I am not talking about the Cullens anymore today. Do I have a pop quiz to look forward to in history?"

"Smooth subject change. No, no quiz. And we weren't talking about the _Cullens_. Wewere talking about _one_ of the Cullens. Is there something you want to tell us about that _particular_ Cullen?" Ben winks at me and flashes a smug little grin.

"Ben, don't push it." I try to sound threatening. I don't think I succeed.

"Dude, you could totally date Bella." Ben has lost his mind. If he truly believes that, then he belongs in an insane asylum.

"Yeah, Edward. You should ask her out." Poor Angela. She'll be joining her boyfriend in the loony bin.

"Okay. This," I wave my right hand in the air by my head, "is my league. And this," I stretch my left arm as far out as I can and wave my left hand in the air, "is her league. See the disparity? I have absolutely zero chance of ever going out on a date with Bella Cullen. Let that one go, Ang. Anyway, Newton has his eye on her. He might actually have a chance with her and I can't compete with him. So, why bother trying." Who am I trying to convince? Them or me?

"You have too low an opinion of yourself, Edward. You should ask at least. What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could say no," Ben and I say in unison. Our hysterical laughter ends the conversation.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the school day is uneventful. No Bella in biology and I'm not the only one who notices… Mike notice, too. I manage to survive PE and don't get the third degree from my friends again. Work is another story though.

"I wonder where Bella was today," Mike starts as soon as I walk into the store. Why me? I wish he would go back to pretending that I'm invisible. His inane ramblings grate on my nerves.

"I don't know, Mike. I am not her keeper." I walk past him to get my vest from under the counter.

"What do you mean by that?" He looks mad. Don't tell me that he's never heard that expression before. And he thinks that I live under a rock.

"It's a Bible reference, calm down." Geez, he's already acting territorial. They haven't even been on a date yet.

"I don't remember that part."

Surprise, surprise. "Cain and Abel?" Surely he has heard that story before.

"Huh?"

Oh, good God! "Never mind." I have a very low tolerance for stupidity and Mike has me at my limit.

"Maybe she'll be back tomorrow. I want to ask her out for Friday. What do you think about Lovoy's? You think she likes Italian food?"

Go away! "Sure, who doesn't?" I'm trying to look busy with inventory; maybe he'll take the hint. One more asinine comment and I may snap. I'm fairly sure that telling the boss' son that he is sophomoric and a moron will get me fired. Then again Mike probably doesn't know what those words mean. He would most likely take it as a compliment.

"Jessica and Lauren are so jealous of Bella and Rosalie. You should hear them at lunch. Jessica thinks they look like tramps." Okay, another reason to not like Jessica Stanley. "She's gonna flip when Bella and I start dating."

"Oh, so you two are dating now?" I think I said that out loud. I should really learn how to keep my mouth shut. Responding to him only makes him talk more.

"What is it, Edward? You think you have a shot with her? No girl in their right mind would pick you over me. You might as well give up that dream right now." He sounds threatening… or threatened. I can't tell which. And frankly I don't care. I'm not threatened by Mike Newton, and I seriously doubt that he's threatened by me.

"I don't have a shot. I'm not even taking aim. She's all yours." If she has the poor taste to have you. I'm pretty sure that didn't slip out. "Where's the dust broom?" Leave me alone, leave me alone. Just let me sweep the aisles and leave me alone.

"Right here."

"Don't…" Too late. "Throw it." I hate Mike Newton.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bella didn't come back to school for the rest of the week. It was really strange. The rest of the Cullens came to school like nothing was wrong. They went to class and answered the teachers, but other than that they kept to themselves. If anyone asked them where Bella was they simply replied, 'She's not here.' That was it. She's not here. No reason for her not being here. Not one word about where she was. Just 'She's not here' and nothing more.

And that's another thing. They kept to themselves… completely. They didn't talk to anyone else and when someone talked to them they were polite but curt at the same time. It was almost like they wanted everyone to ignore them, like that was possible. They stick out like a sore thumb. They sat next to each other in class. They walked to class with each other. They all sat together at lunch and always at the same table.

And lunch was strange too. They never ate. They bought food, but they never ate any of it. They would sometimes move the food around on their trays, but not one single morsel ever touched their perfect lips. They all look healthy, even with the pale skin. Even the tiny Alice doesn't look anorexic. Why don't they eat?

I found myself watching them. Studying them really. I notice that by Thursday all of their eyes have turned to the same black that Bella's had been on the first day I "met" her. And they have dark purple circles under their eyes like they hadn't slept in weeks. And they seemed more irritable on Thursday. Jasper in particular looked at everyone that passed by their table at lunch like he could literally kill them. Alice looked at Jasper like he just might do it at any second and she would have to stop him. Rosalie looked particularly bored and seemed miffed at Jasper and Alice. Emmett appeared about the same as always, just not as loud as he had been. They were different on Friday. The eyes were topaz again and their moods were better. But still, no eating. Why bother to buy food if you aren't going to eat it?

They also don't take a single note in class. They seem to never pay attention, but if the teacher calls on them for an answer they know it immediately. Even in trig, Alice and Jasper always have the right answer even though they never seem to work out a single problem on paper. They all stare out the windows a lot, like they're wishing they were outside. It's like they would rather be drenched by the torrential downpour we have been enduring for the last few days than be inside listening to the teacher drone on. I can sympathize with that one.

They are fascinating. Beautiful and rich, they should have been in instantly with Mike and his crowd, but they don't appear to want to be friends with the in-crowd. They don't appear to want to be friends with anyone for that matter.

I spent too much time this week watching them and not enough time paying attention in class. I have to snap out of this. My grades are going to suffer. A 4.0 will probably get me in just about anywhere, but I'm sort of banking on scholarships to pay for college.

Ben and Angela are noticing it too. Not the Cullens' differences, but my interest. They attribute it to me liking Bella from day one. They really aren't far off. I didn't talk to her, so I don't think I know her well enough to like her. But I am fascinated by her and her family. I want to know her, if nothing more than to understand. They are an enigma to me. I have to know… the truth.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Mike's Friday night plans were a bust so when I get to work on Saturday morning he is not in the best of moods. And he is taking it out on me, by talking to me about it. I can't figure out why he thinks I want to hear about this. He and I are not friends. He should be discussing this with Tyler or Eric.

"Where the hell is she? It's not normal. You can't come to school the first day and never come back." He is ranting about it constantly. "I had already told everyone that we were gonna go out Friday night. It was humiliating. I'm not giving her another chance."

The moron is acting like she stood him up. "Maybe you shouldn't have counted your chickens."

"What are you talking about? I don't have any chickens."

Why me? "It's a figure of speech. It means to not assume that you'll get the things you want until you have them." I'll never make it the whole shift. I'm going to get fired today for telling him off. Why does he insist on inflicting his stupidity on me?

"Do you ever just speak English? Geez, Edward, I feel like I'm talking to my parents when I talk to you."

Then quit talking to me. "Sorry." Again, I'm the stupid one in the conversation. Why won't he leave me alone and let me total up the week's receipts in peace? "Maybe she's sick."

"Maybe. She is kinda pale."

They're all pale, genius. "Uh huh." Ignore it and it will go away.

"That's it! She's sick. Maybe I'll give her another chance after all. Thanks, Edward."

"Sure no problem." Go away!

Thank the Lord the door has opened. Maybe a customer will distract Mike so he'll leave me alone. He is grating on my last nerve.

"Hey, Edward. Mike."

Better than a customer, it's Jacob Black. Jake is a Quileute Indian from the La Push Reservation about fifteen miles outside of Forks. I like Jake, Mike doesn't. This means that Mike will make up an excuse to get away from Jake and in the process he'll leave me alone too.

"Um, hi. I'll be in back doing inventory. Call me if a customer comes in."

"Will do." Thank you, Jake! Jake's dad, Billy, makes authentic Indian souvenirs for the tourists. They sell a lot of the stuff here at the Newton's store. Jacob has a box under his arm. "Hey, Jacob. You come to restock the display?"

"Yep. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"God, no. Mike's been pestering me all morning." Jake's arrival is a relief actually.

"'Bout what?" He is already re-stocking the display case. Good, Lord, Billy is talented. His wood carvings are exquisite. They have so much detail. The wolves that Billy carves look almost alive, they're so realistic. I'm in awe of his talent.

"The new kids at school. Well, actually just one of them in particular."

"It's a girl, right?" He smirks in the direction of the back room. Jacob doesn't like Mike either.

"Yeah. She's unbelievably beautiful. I can't fault Mike for his taste."

"Do you like her too?" Geez, he's perceptive. I must be really transparent. All of my friends are picking up on it.

"I don't know her. And if she never comes back to school it won't matter."

"I ain't followin'." Jake looks confused. Join the club. Bella Cullen confuses the heck out of me. All of the Cullens confuse me. I've been in a constant state of confusion all week.

"She hasn't been back since Monday."

"Maybe she's sick."

"That's what I told him, but he's obsessed with her." Just like I am. See, I can admit it. I'm obsessed.

"What's her name?"

"Bella Cullen."

Jake gasps and drops an intricately carved wooden bear, breaking off the fish that was in its mouth. "What did you say?"

"Bella Cullen. Are you okay?" His eyes look like they're going to pop out of his head.

"It's nothing, forget about it," Jacob says as he picks up the damaged bear. "My dad's gonna be really mad about this one. He spent a lot of time on it."

"Come on, Jake. It can't be 'nothing'. It has to be something to turn you almost white." I'm pushing. Mom's wearing off on me. "Come on. Tell me."

"It's just a stupid story my dad told at a bonfire a few years ago. That girl's name just sort of triggered a memory. That's all."

"What's the story?"

"It's just a stupid story. He was trying to scare the little kids."

He looks uncomfortable. "It looks like it scared you."

"No. It did not. It was stupid. It's just that name…"

"Which name? Bella or Cullen?"

"Well, Cullen. He actually said that name in the story."

"Okay, now I have to know. Tell me." He is not getting out of this store without telling me this story.

"It's stupid."

"Are you scared?" Teasing him will get it out of him.

"Only of looking stupid to the pale-face."

"I want to know." I _have_ to know.

"Fine," he says as he rolls his eyes. "Did you know that the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves?"

"Wolves? Real canine type wolves?"

"See. This is why I didn't want to tell you. You're already making fun."

"Sorry. I'll shut up. Please continue."

"Anyway, as the legend goes, the wolves of our tribe have only one natural enemy. My great-grandfather, Ephraim Black, and couple of other members of our tribe were out hunting one night. They found an enemy clan hunting on our land. My dad called them the Cullen Clan. The other tribe members wanted to attack, but the leader of the Cullen Clan convinced Ephraim that they were different from the others of their kind."

"Their kind?"

"That's supposed to be the scary part. They're cold-ones."

"Cold-ones?" What the heck is a cold-one?

"Yeah, cold-ones, blood-drinkers. Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry. Geez." Is he talking about vampires?

"Anyway, Ephraim made a treaty with them that as long as they stayed off of Quileute lands the tribe wouldn't expose what they really are to the pale-faces."

"Oh, well, you just exposed them."

"Yeah, I guess I did," he laughs. "It doesn't matter. It's a stupid superstition. My dad was telling ghost stories around the fire to scare the little kids. The name is just a coincidence."

"Did it scare anybody?"

"Well, yeah the little kids. Weren't you scared?"

"Not really." Because vampires aren't real.

"I can't tell it like my dad can. He's good at that kind of stuff. I probably got some of it wrong anyway. I bet I didn't even get the name right." He shrugs and turns to pick up the box. "I better get back and see if he can salvage this. Boy, is he gonna be mad. See you later, Edward."

"See ya, Jake." Cold-ones? Blood-drinkers? I might have to do a little Quileute research when I get home. I wonder how they're different from the others of "their kind". What is "their kind" exactly? This is ridiculous. Vampires do not exist. Dracula was a figment of Bram Stoker's imagination.

The door chime brings me out of my thoughts. "Mike, customers."

"Thanks, Edward. How can I help you folks today?" Mr. Newton pays us a 1% commission for any sale we make. Mike "lets" me have every third customer. He's so generous to me.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Four**

We got busy at the store Saturday and I actually forgot about Jacob's story. Sunday is Renee's only day off so she insists that we spend it together, unless I have a ton of homework. Unfortunately, I didn't have that excuse, so she dragged me to Hoquiam for lunch and a movie. She wanted to see a romantic comedy that the other nurses at the hospital had raved about. I'd rather have stayed home and read a book. So, I didn't get to do any Quileute research.

I'm remembering the story as I pull into the parking lot of the school on Monday morning. I will definitely be on the internet tonight. Of course, my favorite spot is obstructed by the shiny silver Volvo. How do they keep it so clean with all this rain and the muck? Every other car in the lot is caked with mud. That Volvo looks like it's washed everyday… and possibly waxed daily too. I pull into what is becoming my new spot in the lot and walk past the Volvo to English class.

Angela is waiting for me when I get to economics. Rosalie and Emmett are seated in the back row. I'm trying to not be too hopeful that Bella is here today too. By the time Angela and I get to the cafeteria, the school is buzzing with the news: Bella Cullen is back. Ben hits me with it first. He's almost vibrating with excitement.

Hey, Edward," he calls to me as Angela and I are getting to the door of the cafeteria. "Guess who's back?" He better rein in his enthusiasm or Angela could start thinking that it's Ben who has the hots for Bella.

"Who?" I pretend to be ignorant. This could be fun.

Angela elbows me in the ribs, "Stop it. He knows, Sweetie. Everybody is talking about it."

"Aw, shoot. I wanted to tell him." He really looks dejected. I can't help but laugh at him.

"Why do you think I would care? She's going to be Newton's girl, remember?" At least Mike thinks she is. I'm holding out hope that Bella has better taste than Mike Newton.

"Not if you get to her first. Just go over to their table and introduce yourself. Get the jump on Mike." Ben pushes me toward the Cullen's table.

I turn around and swat at his arm. I don't want Bella or anyone else to see him trying to push me toward that table. That would be embarrassing. "I forgot my cologne today. I might offend."

"You're making excuses," Ben is pushing. Have he and Renee been hanging out behind my back? She would be so proud of him.

"I'm not interested in her," I lie.

Angela joins in then, "That's a lie!" How does she know?! I _am_ getting transparent. My friends are getting too good at knowing my thoughts.

"It is not!" I try to look indignant. I don't think it worked.

"Edward, you are an exceptional student, you are a dependable and loyal friend, you are a handsome young man, but you are a horrible liar." I wish she would quit that. It makes me blush.

"Shut up," I mutter as we get to our table. Why does Angela continue to call me handsome? It isn't helping. I have a mirror. I can see the truth. I think she just likes to see how many shades of red I can achieve.

"That was an eloquent come back," Ben teases as we sit. He's right. I'm usually much better at the snappy comebacks.

I ignore him as I try to glance nonchalantly at the Cullens' normal table. They're all there. Five super-models staring out the windows, looking utterly bored. Five trays of untouched food. One pair of topaz eyes staring back at me. Crud, she caught me! I look down at my food quickly.

"Busted!" Ben caught me too. Great, just great. He'll never let up now.

"Leave it alone, Ben. It doesn't mean anything." Am I trying to convince Ben or myself? "I just wanted to see for myself that she is really back." She is quite possibly more beautiful today than she was last week. She is wearing a blue blouse that looks amazing with her pale skin.

"Sure. Whatever you say." He's laughing at me. Angela's laughing at me, too. I'm red as a tomato. I wish I could control the blushing reaction. I'd completely cut it off if I could.

"She's still staring at you."

"What?!" My head snaps up to look at Angela. It takes all of my willpower to not look back at their table to check.

"She's looking at you." Angela is looking past me to the Cullens' table.

"No, she's not." She can't be. She has to be looking at someone else.

"Turn around and check." Angela has lost her mind!

"No! And you stop looking too. She's probably trying to figure out how to get out of being my biology partner. Stop looking at her. She'll get the wrong idea."

"What idea would that be?" Ben's smiling like this is the funniest thing he's ever seen. I swear I'm going to hit him over this.

"I don't know, but it would be the wrong one. Quit looking and change the subject." I can feel my neck getting hot. I'll be purple if I blush any harder today. Now I'm not only embarrassed, I'm nervous too. The next reaction will be a cold sweat. I'm sure that will make me smell delicious in biology. I've got to get this under control.

"Fine," Angela to the rescue. "What are you going to write about for your English paper?"

"I haven't decided yet. I was thinking about the doomed romance between Jay and Daisy in _The Great Gatsby_." I've read the book a few times. I like the theme of loving the wrong person. Finding your soul mate, but not being able to be with them because you're from different worlds. It's pathetically romantic.

"That's a fitting subject," Ben says. Where is he going with this? "Are you gonna compare and contrast Jay and Daisy with you and Bella?"

"That's it. I'm done. I'll see you two in PE." I stand to dispose of my tray. I'd rather sit in my history classroom alone for the next ten minutes than be subjected to any more of Ben's innuendos.

As I leave I hear Angela, "Ben, you shouldn't have done that. I think he's really mad. And you know Edward. If you push him too far he'll shut down completely."

~*~*~*~*~*~

I make it through history. The extra ten minutes came in handy. We had a quiz and I had spent the time trying not to think about Bella, so I re-read the assignment. Another A+ to add to my collection. Toward the end of class I begin to really dread the bell. I love science, but I'm a little worried about seeing Bella. What kind of reaction will I get today? Will she even be sitting at the same desk? She could have requested a change of partner. For all I know she could have changed her whole schedule just to avoid me. Okay, that was egotistical. I'm sure that I have as much significance as a fly in Bella Cullen's world. I wish I had remembered the cologne.

I take my time getting to biology. I'm actually dreading my favorite class. When I get in the door, I see her sitting at the same desk as last week. Mike Newton is leaning against her side of it talking to her. He has that smile he uses on the girls. He thinks it's sexy. I think he looks constipated. She's nodding her head at him, but I don't think it's in response to a question. She looks like she trying to get him to go away… politely. She doesn't know Mike. He isn't smart enough to take subtle hints. You have to say it to him. If she wants him to go away, she's going to have to say, "Go away." I should know. I've been trying to subtly make him shut up at work for a week. Subtle definitely does not work on Mike.

I take my seat as quietly as possible. Mike glances briefly in my direction and then turns back to Bella. I'm opening my notebook when I hear a symphony to my left.

"Hello." Bella is ignoring Mike now and speaking to me. I was right about the voice… wow. "I didn't get to introduce myself last week. I'm Bella Cullen."

Mike looks ticked! "Um, yeah. Edward Masen." I extend my right hand toward her.

She looks down at my hand and smiles, but she doesn't shake it. "Yes, I know. It's nice to meet you." She knows my name? She knows my name! Calm down; don't read too much into that, Edward.

I lower my hand. Mike is fuming! "You too. Nice to meet you I mean." I sound like an idiot! An hour from now I'll think of something eloquent to say. But then it'll be too late.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Bella. Maybe after school we can get together or something." Mike looks at me and smirks.

"Or something. Good bye, Mike." She just dismissed Mike Newton! I don't think that's ever happened to him before. Most girls at school fall all over themselves when it comes to Mike. I really don't see the attraction. He's a buffoon.

Mr. Molina walks into the room at that moment. "Ah, Miss Cullen, so good of you to rejoin us. Lucky for you that Mr. Masen is your partner. He can easily get you up to speed on what you've missed. Okay, class let's settle down and get started."

"Don't worry about what you missed. It was pretty basic stuff. Read chapter one of the book and I'll get you a copy of my notes. We haven't done an experiment yet, so you haven't missed anything important." I'm yammering and I sound even more like an idiot. I should just shut up now.

"Thank you, Edward. I really appreciate that." And then she smiles, but it's not the same smile that she gave Mike last week. This one is completely right. I can't tear my eyes off of her. She's dazzling! Her eyes are black with a thin gold ring around the edge of the iris today. She doesn't look mad or like she smells something offensive. That's a good thing, right?

"Mr. Masen? Mr. Masen, are you going to join us today?" Mr. Molina is talking to me.

"Um, what?" I pull myself back to reality in time to realize that everyone is giggling at me, including Mr. Molina. I was staring at Bella and obviously the whole room has noticed.

"Could you please tell us what the letters ATP stand for in the context of the reading assignment?"

"Adenosine tri-phosphate."

"Mr. Newton, why would you find ATP particularly important?"

Thank God he moved on. I don't think I could put a whole sentence together and be coherent. She's completely different from last week. Maybe I had imagined the whole thing. Ben is right about her appearing to be nice. She just had a bad. She was probably getting sick. That's got to be why she missed school last week.

Finally, the bell rings and I start to get my things together, when I hear the symphony again. "My father tells me that he knows your mother."

"Yeah, I think my mom mentioned that your dad is a doctor at the hospital." I head for the door and she follows.

"Yes, she told him that you would be of assistance to us if we had questions or difficulties here at school." I'm going to kill Renee; or kiss her, depending on how this conversation goes.

She's still walking beside me. Good, Lord, she's beautiful. "Um, sure. Whatever you need." And I mean that. _Whatever_ she needs I will do everything in my power to supply it to her. _Anything_ to get her to smile at me again. She's dazzling.

"Thank you. My family and I appreciate that. I'll talk with you tomorrow." She smiles that amazing smile at me and my insides turn to mush. I can't believe how she affects me. I'm all warm and tingly. She's just walked with me almost all the way to the gym. She doesn't have PE with me. She's going to have to double back to get to her next class. She'll probably be late.

"Um, yeah, okay. Bye." She nods once as she turns to go to her next class. Oh, crud, Ben and Angela saw that whole exchange. This is going to be bad.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Don't start." Maybe if I go on the offensive I can defuse this quickly. I don't need Ben to pick on me and Angela to look all hopeful. Mike is probably going to let me have it at work this afternoon anyway.

"Edward and Bella sitting in a tree… oomph!" A sharp elbow to the abdomen by Angela cuts him off. Sometimes I love the girl.

"Thanks, Ang." If she hadn't hit him, I was going to have to.

"No problem. Now, what did she say?!" She's almost bouncing she's so excited. I'm a little excited too, but it's probably not a good idea to let them know that. I'd never hear the end of it.

"Nothing." Maybe if I play it cool they'll drop it. It wasn't a big deal. So she talked to me. So she walked halfway to the gym with me. Definitely not a big deal, right?

"It didn't look like nothing. What were you two talking about? She looked intense."

"Did she? I don't know why. She just mentioned that her dad knows my mom from the hospital and that Renee had volunteered my services as tour guide to her family, if needed. Why would that make her look 'intense'?" I didn't get intense at all.

"I don't know, but she was looking at you like you were the most interesting person in the world." Angela smiles at me encouragingly. She's making it all up to push me into admitting something. It won't work.

"You're exaggerating, Angela. You're getting as delusional as your boyfriend." With that I go into the locker-room to change.

"She's not exaggerating," Ben says as he follows me in.

Will this torture never end? "Not you too. Leave it alone okay. Her league and my league don't even reside in the same hemisphere. I mean, look at her and then look at me. She is amazing looking and I am, well, not. Less than not actually. She could have her pick; Mike, Tyler, Eric, any of the popular guys. Why on earth would she even consider me?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right. But she didn't talk to Mike after class. She didn't walk with Mike to his next class. But, it means nothing, right?" He's getting his gym clothes out and acting like he's ignoring me. I see him look at me from the corner of his eye. He's smiling wickedly.

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" I hate it when he does sarcastic.

"Yep. And by the way, Tyler and Eric have also tried to pique her interest today and she didn't give them the time of day. You appear to be the only person that she has actually engaged in a conversation with today, besides her family of course. And according to you she initiated it. She didn't do that with Tyler or Eric. They talked to her and she nodded."

Okay that's familiar. She was doing the same to Mike when I got to biology today. Better to keep that to myself. The less ammunition Ben and Angela have the less they can lob at me at one time. "Well, I don't know what you are insinuating, but I still don't think it's a big deal. It doesn't mean anything. She's not interested in me and I am not interested in her. Let it go, okay?"

"I will for now, but only because I have to go out and protect the rest of the class from you. Let's play some hoops!"

"Let's not and say we did," I groan as we head out into the gym.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After my humiliation in gym, (I hit Eric Yorkie in the back of the head with the ball… twice.) I have to now go to work and endure Mike. I have to pass the silver Volvo on the way to my truck. As I approach it I see the five of them standing there. They all turn to look at me. Rosalie and Jasper shake their heads and get in the back seat. Emmett kind of cocks his head, shrugs and then folds himself into the front passenger seat. Alice smiles and a tingle of a giggle escapes her lips as she bounces into back with Rosalie and Jasper. Bella smiles (Geez she's beautiful.) and waves. I wave back, more than a little confused, when I suddenly hear someone inside the Volvo scream "NO!" Bella's face changes instantly. Her eyes pop open and her jaw drops. The next thing I know something cold and hard hits my chest and I am flying onto the hood of Jessica Stanley's Toyota Camry. My head hits the windshield shattering it. I look up to see Bella kneel down in front of Tyler Crowley's van as it hits her shoulder. It's like the van has hit an immovable boulder. The tires on the driver's side come up off of the pavement as the van comes to a sudden and abrupt stop. There's a loud crash as all four tires make contact with the pavement again. Less than a second later Bella is at the side of the Camry.

"Edward! Edward! Are you okay? Say something." She's yelling at me. Why?

"I'm fine…" Everything goes black.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Edward. Open your eyes." That's Renee. Why is Renee at the school? She's supposed to be at the hospital until seven tonight.

"Edward, honey, please, open your eyes." Okay, Mom. I never can say no to you. I'll work on the eyes thing.

"Edward Anthony Masen, open your eyes this instant." Uh oh, full name. I must be in big trouble for something. I finally get my eyes open and there's Renee's face hovering over me.

"Oh thank God. You scared me to death." She's been crying.

"Hey, Mom. You okay? Why are you crying?" I'm confused. And I have a headache.

"Do you know just how close to dead you were this afternoon? That Crowley kid nearly hit you with his van. Lord knows how you managed to jump out of the way in time."

"I didn't." I couldn't jump out of the way of a turtle without serious bodily injury.

"What?" Now she looks confused.

"I didn't jump out of the way. Bella Cullen pushed me out of the way." That much I remember.

"Dr. Cullen's daughter?"

"Did someone summon me?" The best looking man I have ever seen is walking toward Renee and me. He looks like what you would get if you crossed Brad Pitt's DNA with Tom Cruise's and threw in a little Colin Firth for the accent.

"Dr. Cullen, this is my son, Edward." Of course, this is Dr. Cullen.

"Hello, Edward. You have a minor concussion and a few bruises, but other than that you appear to be fine." He smiles and I hear Renee sigh.

"I would be dead if Bella hadn't pushed me out of the way." Let's see his reaction to that!

"Well, yes, you are very lucky then. I don't think we'll need to keep you overnight. I'm sure that your mother knows how to handle a concussion. Take Tylenol for any aches or pains you may have." He writes something on my chart, smiles and then turns to Tyler. "You on the other hand will be staying with us for a bit longer, I'm afraid." He just dismissed my comment like it was no big deal. His daughter did the impossible and saved my life and he acts like it's an everyday thing.

"I have to sign a few things to get you officially released. You can wait for me in the waiting room. Just be careful. Don't move too fast."

Renee helps me off the gurney. I'm glad she did, because I'm a little lightheaded. And my head really aches. I walk out into the hallway that leads to waiting room. At the end of the hall I see Bella, Rosalie, and Jasper. They look like they're arguing. I hear Rosalie say something like "This concerns all of us," but I can't be sure. Then Jasper notices me and nods in my direction. They all turn to look at me. Rosalie scowls and looks pointedly at Bella. "We'll be in Carlisle's office." She and Jasper walk out into the waiting room.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" I say as I walk to where Bella is in the hallway.

"What?" She seems upset. Maybe even angry.

"How… How did you get to me so fast?" I'm nervous and confused. There is absolutely no way she could have covered the distance and pushed me out of the way. It's not humanly possible.

"What are you talking about? I was standing right next to you." What?! She's got to be kidding me!

"No, you were standing by your car about twenty feet away." At least twenty feet, maybe more.

"You hit your head. You're confused." She's looking directly into my eyes like she's trying to convince me that she's telling the truth. I hit my head, but not hard enough to render me an imbecile.

"My head is fine. I know what I saw."

"And what exactly was that?" She leans into me and I take a step back.

"You stopped the van with your shoulder. It was like it hit a big rock or something. And you got to me so fast. How did you do it?" The words tumble out. Once I hear them out loud I realize how unbelievable it is.

"No one will believe any of that." She looks off down the hall and then down at the floor.

"I won't tell anyone," I say and she looks at me again. She cocks her head and looks at me with confusion. I start to get that nauseous feeling again and my head begins to spin. Maybe I hit it harder than I think.

"Then why does it matter?"

"I just want to understand. I want to know the truth." I have to know.

"Why can't you just thank me and get over it?" She looks down again and starts playing with a lock of her hair.

"Thank you." The words don't seem adequate, but I don't know what else to say. The nausea has passed, but my head is throbbing. I'm finding it hard to form coherent thoughts. I really should sit.

"You aren't going to let this go are you?" She asks as she pushes her hair off of her face. That beautiful face.

"Probably not." How can I? She saved my life under impossible odds. _No one_ could ever just let that go.

"Well, I hope you enjoy disappointment." Then she walks away, leaving me there with my mouth hanging open. What just happened?


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Five**

The weeks and months after the near accident passed uneventfully. After our exchange at the hospital, Bella didn't speak to me again. When I returned to school the next day, everyone was more concerned about Tyler than me. The few people that did inquire as to my well-being were surprised to hear that Bella had pushed me out of the way. Evidently, no one had seen her before she appeared at the side of Jessica's Camry. I wanted to talk to Ben and Angela about what really happened, but Bella was right; they would never believe it. I was finding it hard to believe the more I thought about it.

I tried to talk to Bella in biology that day, but she just nodded at me and looked away. I got the same response the next day. I didn't try to talk to her again after that. This pleased Mike to no end, but as far as I could tell he wasn't making the head way with her he wanted. He complained incessantly about her unwillingness to go out with him. He was confused as to why she kept telling him no. I kept my theory on the subject to myself.

Then in December, the silence breaks. As I sit down at our desk in biology, Bella speaks. "Edward."

I jump a foot in the air. She just startled the heck out of me. I turn slowly to look at her. "Yes?"

"Good to see you today," she says and smiles. Does she know what that does to me?

"Yes. You too." I'm dumbstruck. I thought she'd never speak to me again.

"Are you ready for today's experiment?" Oh, that's it. She needs my prep work to copy. "Because if you're not, you may look at my prep questions before class begins." She pulls out the answered prep questions from her notebook.

"No, thanks. I did the work last night." I'm in shock. Why is she talking to me now? She's held a grudge against me for months.

"Very well." She slides the paper back into her notebook and smiles at me. Dazzling! I can feel the heat rising up my neck to my cheeks. I have got to figure out how to control the blushing.

Mr. Molina comes in pushing a cart of antique microscopes. He drops one microscope and a box of slides at each table. "You have a box of slides in front of you that shows the stages of mitosis of onion root. They are not in the correct order. Your lab assignment today is to work with the person at your desk and put them in the correct order."

Bella pushes the microscope toward me and asks, "Would you like to begin?" I'm too shocked to answer. All I can do is stare at her. Talk Edward, talk.

"Or I can begin." She takes the box of slides and places the first one in the microscope. She then glances briefly into the eyepiece and says, "Prophase." She then writes it in the space on the worksheet.

I finally find my voice and say, "Mind if I check?" This is a subject I thoroughly enjoy and I have prepared meticulously for this lab. She glanced at the slide so briefly. I don't want to risk my A on her cursory glance.

"Of course. Please check." She smiles politely as she pushes the microscope over to me.

I look into the eyepiece. I have to adjust the magnification slightly. When it finally comes into view I see that she's right. "Prophase," I mutter.

"I believe that's what I said." She reaches for the slide to change it at the same time as I am reaching for the slide to change it. Our hands touch and both of our heads jerk up. She instantly shoves her hands under the desk and our eyes meet. Her hand is like ice. But besides that, it felt like electricity shot from her hand into mine. We are both sitting here staring at each other when Mr. Molina finally breaks the tension.

"Is everything okay here?" How do we look to him?

Bella is able to answer him. "Yes, sir, we're fine." I'm glad she can speak because I'm speechless. What was that?! It didn't feel like static electricity shock. It felt like 110 volts running up my arm. Did she feel it too?

"Let me know if you need any help. And Edward, let Bella try to identify a few of them." Mr. Molina gives me a reproachful look.

I finally find my voice and say, "She identified the first one actually."

"Oh. Well, good. Keep working." He says something under his breath as he walks away but I can't make it out.

"Shall we continue?" She is already changing the slide. She must not have felt what I felt. Or she's trying to play it off. "Would you like to go first this time?"

"Sure." I look into the microscope. "Anaphase… I think." I'm still a little befuddled by before.

"You think or you know?" At this point I'm not really sure that I know anything. This experiment is not going as planned.

"You check it." She takes the microscope and looks into the eyepiece. She doesn't adjust the magnification. Shouldn't she have to adjust it back from where I had it?

"It's indeed anaphase." She only glances at it. She couldn't possibly have identified it that quickly.

"Are you sure?" One wrong answer will throw the whole thing out of whack. She didn't look at it long enough to be sure.

She smiles a crooked half smile at me and says, "Yes." Okay, maybe she can be sure. We continue this way with the rest of the slides. Me peering thoughtfully into the microscope; analyzing each slide. She glancing briefly at the slide and writing the answer on the worksheet. She identifies three and I identify two. We're the first to finish. This leaves time for talking.

"So," I start, "how you been?" I know it's a cheesy start, but I don't know what else to say. She hasn't even looked at me in months. I don't want to make her mad again. I don't like Silent Bella.

"Well. And you?" I still can't get over her voice. It's beautiful.

"Good." I want to ask about the "episode" earlier, but I don't know what to say. How do you ask someone if they felt an electric shock when you touched their hand?

"How is your head? No lasting damage I hope?"

"Oh, am I allowed to talk about the near accident?" Why did I say that? She's going to get mad again and I'll have to endure the silence.

Her expression suddenly turns somber. "Not all aspects of it no, but I am concerned for your health. You hit your head very hard. I'm hoping that you're not having any lasting adverse effects from it." She speaks like she's from a different decade. It's so proper. I love it!

"No lasting adverse effects. I had a headache that day and my mom kept waking me up all night, so I was exhausted for a couple of days after, but I'm fine now." She really looks concerned.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Mr. Molina begins taking up the worksheets, then the bell rings. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here and talk to Bella… forever. We gather our things. Bella walks with me out of the classroom. "Edward? Thank you for not pushing the issue about… the accident. And thank you for not mentioning it to anyone. My family and I appreciate it very much." How does she know that I haven't mentioned it to anyone?

"Um, you're welcome. Are you ever going to tell me how you did it?" I still really want to know.

"I don't know anymore. We'll see. Hearing _your_ theories might be interesting." She smiles at me, dazzling me again. "Regardless, thank you." She turns to go to her next class. Okay, now I'm curious. I can't put off the Quileute research any longer. Something isn't right.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I can't get out of Newton's fast enough. And for a change, it has nothing to do with Mike. I have some research to do… tonight. I can't put if off any longer. I should be working on my English paper. I should be reading my history assignment. I have trig problems to do. None of that will be done tonight. I'm done idly obsessing about Bella Cullen. I need some answers. She's obviously hiding something. I think all of them, even the good doctor, are in on it. Jake may think that it's just a silly superstition, but aren't most of those based on some truth?

Renee is home when I pull into the drive way. It's her turn to cook. As I walk quickly into the house I yell to her in the kitchen, "Not hungry tonight, Mom. Got a lot of homework."

"Freeze!" I don't even make the stairs.

"What?" She's giving me the "Mom" look and pointing into the kitchen.

"You know the rules. Get in the kitchen and sit. I found a new recipe in a magazine and want your opinion on it."

Please no. New recipes are always a bad idea for Renee. "Mom, please, I have a lot to do." I don't have time for dinner and I really don't want to try a new concoction. The old recipes can be bad enough. My mom is "inventive" in the kitchen. This is _not_ a good thing.

"Move it, Mister. There are no exceptions." Well, there's one exception.

"What about when you have a date?" That seems to be the only time I get out of eating dinner with my mom.

"When you have a date, you'll get your exception. Get to the kitchen." Ouch! That stung a little.

"That was a low blow." I'm not going to win this argument. I guess the research will have to wait. I trudge slowly to the kitchen. I am not looking forward to whatever culinary delight Renee is about to inflict on me. New recipes scare me. Actually, her old recipes scare me too.

"You're seventeen, Edward. The occasional date would be normal," she says as she hands me plates and silverware to set the table.

"I go out." With Ben and Angela… occasionally. I've gone to the beach at La Push with Jake and his friends a couple of times. It's not like I'm a recluse. I just haven't ever really been on a date. I've quit trying to explain to Renee that the girls at Forks High School don't interest me. Well, none of them did until now.

"Yes, I know. With Ben and Angela, as their chaperone." She rolls her eyes as she removes a _very_ large casserole dish from the oven. That's a lot of food! Are we expecting guests? There's enough to feed a small third world country.

I decide to let the chaperone thing slide. I want to get this over with so I can get to my room and my computer. "What are we having?"

"Chicken Spaghetti!" She's too enthusiastic about this meal. I'm getting scared. Please let it be regular spaghetti with chicken instead of beef.

"Okay," I say as a heaping serving spoon full of a yellow gelatinous substance plops on the plate in front of me. "It's yellow." And it looks to have pickle relish in it.

"Yep." She plops another spoon full on my plate and then moves to her own.

Isn't spaghetti supposed to be in some type of tomato based sauce? Shouldn't it be red and not yellow? I don't think I can eat this. I poke at it cautiously with my fork. "I thought you said 'spaghetti'."

"I did." I raise one eyebrow as I look from my plate to Renee and then back to my plate. "The sauce is made with cream of chicken soup." She seems proud of this. I'm still eyeing my plate skeptically. "Just try it."

"Do I have to?" I really don't want this in my mouth. I'm afraid I'll gag and hurt her feelings. It really doesn't look appetizing. I wish she'd make me a ham sandwich and let me go to my room.

"It's this or be hungry."

"I pick hungry." I try to stand, but Renee grabs my arm.

"Sit down. Eat."

I groan and take a tentative bite. It's not bad. It actually tastes sort of like tuna noodle casserole, but just not as good. It definitely has pickle relish in it. I stir it around, find a chunk of chicken, and eat it. It would be better without the pickle relish.

"Well?" She's looking at me with a hopeful expression. I have to tell her something.

"Edible." It's the best I can do. It's palatable to an extent. And I could survive on it, if it's all there is in the entire world to eat. But I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. It's edible, but not great.

"Good. I'm glad you like it." I didn't say I liked it. I think I called it edible. How did she get that I liked it out of that? "There's enough for the rest of the week." Wonderful. I wish we had a dog.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I eat quickly, there's really no other way to eat chicken spaghetti, and start helping Renee with the dishes. She's in the mood to talk tonight. I'm so lost in my own thoughts that I can barely hold a conversation. She finally notices that I'm not paying any attention and tells me to go do my homework before we finish the dishes. If I could take the stairs two at a time I would, but I want to survive the trip to my room. Renee has put me an hour behind the schedule I had worked out in my mind.

I boot up my computer and wait impatiently for it to load. Finally I get to the internet. I hate dial-up. I go to Google and search 'Quileute legends'. Google finds over 82,000 sites. I have to narrow those results. I go back to the top and type in 'Quileute legends Cold-ones'. Only 16,000, that's better. I click on the first link. The page has been moved. Okay, I click redirect. It sends me to a page about vampires. I go to the top of the screen and click back twice. That has to be wrong. I go to the second link. It takes me to another page about… Vampires! I push back from my desk and stare with disbelief at the screen. This is ridiculous. Someone in internet land is playing a joke on the pale-faces.

I go back to the computer and back up to the Google page and click on the third link. It takes me to a page about all Quileute legends. Here we go. There's the wolf legend and another one about thunderbirds. The last one on the list is about the cold-ones. I click on it. VAMPIRES! It's a page filled with vampire folklore from all over the world. I'm suddenly sweating profusely. Vampires aren't real. They don't exist. They're products of Bram Stoker's imagination and Hollywood hype.

I get up from the computer and walk to the bathroom to splash water on my face. There is no way that this is real. I go back to my room and stare from the doorway at the computer. I don't know now if I want to understand. I take a deep breath and sit down in front of the computer and start to read. The cold-ones are the natural and only enemy of the Quileute wolves. The wolves protect their people from the cold-ones and for that they are called Protectors. Okay, that fits in with Jacob's story.

I scroll down the page. There is a description of the cold-ones. They have cold skin, hence the name. Their skin is also hard as a rock and extremely pale. They are incredibly fast and strong. And of course they drink blood. Human blood. That kind of fits into what I've always heard about vampires. But, then again, most of my vampire knowledge comes from books and movies. Bella's hand was ice cold today. It felt like I had been hit with an aluminum baseball bat when she pushed me out of the path of Tyler's van. She is extremely pale; all of the Cullens are pale. She has to be incredibly fast to have gotten to me in time to push me out of the way of that van. There is no way that someone with normal human strength could have stopped it like she did. So far she fits the description of cold, hard, pale, fast, and strong. I need some air.

I raise the window in my room and take a deep breath. This cannot be happening. This cannot be real. Aren't vampires supposed to only come out at night? The Cullens are at school almost every day. It doesn't make sense. But the Quileute description….

I think I hear movement outside. I look across the yard, but I don't see anything unusual. The tree near my window rustles in the wind. I look up into the branches and for a moment I think I see a figure. I blink and it's gone. I must have imagined it. I start to feel nauseated and light-headed. I need to lie down. I step back from the window and sit on my bed. The nausea is subsiding, but I'm starting to get a mild headache.

I can't think about this anymore. I close the window and go back to the computer. I turn it off without shutting it down properly. I don't want to look at the screen anymore. I need to think. I need a shower. I need psychiatric help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I didn't sleep well last night. I had strange, vivid dreams of vampires and wolves. I woke at three in the morning in a cold sweat and couldn't go back to sleep. I laid in the bed thinking. Everything I have ever heard about vampires is terrifying. They're the monster in a horror movie; the evil seducer in books. And they aren't real… right? Nothing fit what I had witnessed in Bella or any of the Cullens. I want to talk to Bella about it, confront her, but…. How do you start that conversation?

As I pull into the parking lot at school this morning, I notice that the silver Volvo isn't in its usual spot; my spot. I'm still claiming it. I take advantage of this and park there. Maybe I can use this to start a conversation… the conversation. I'm at a loss as to how to bring it up. It's not every day that you ask someone if they're a vampire. I feel stupid just thinking about it. This is absurd. Vampires are _not_ real! I have lost my mind to even be considering this. It's insane!

I somehow make it through English. Rosalie wasn't in class. I wonder where she is. Ben catches up to me afterwards to walk to trig. "You working Friday?"

"Huh?" I'm kind of out of it. I have a few things on my mind.

"Are you okay?" Ben is looking at me with a strange expression, almost like he's worried. Do I look that bad? I only lost one night's sleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine. And no, I don't have to work Friday. It's my Saturday. Why?"

"Angela is dragging me to Seattle to get fitted for a tux for the winter formal. You want to come with?"

I remember what my mom said last night about the chaperone. "No, you guys don't need a chaperone." I don't think I'll be tagging along on their dates anymore. Renee is right. The dynamic has changed. It's not three friends hanging out anymore. It's a couple and their pathetic chaperone, Edward.

"I don't want a chaperone, I want moral support. Please don't make me do this alone." He's begging. I can't tell if he really wants me to go or he's just feeling sorry for me for being dateless on Friday night. Either way, I don't think I should go.

"I don't know." I wince at him. I don't want to be in their way… if you know what I mean.

"C'mon, Man, please." He looks like he's considering begging on his knees. That might actually be funny.

"I'll think about it." We take our seats and class starts. I'm hoping that Mr. Varner doesn't call on me since I didn't do any of the homework problems last night. Edward Masen not doing his homework; that's a first. I was a little distracted. Alice and Jasper don't show up for trig. It's still early in the day. Maybe they're going to be late.

The bell rings and Ben punches my arm, "Wake up, Dude."

Ow, that kind of hurt! "I wasn't asleep," I say as I hit him back. The little beanpole's fists feel like sharpened sticks. And he always manages to hit me right on the bone.

"Well, you weren't here. What are you thinking about?" He's rubbing his arm where I hit him. I may not have bony fists, but I can find a bone to hit too.

"Seattle." I can't tell him the truth; he'll think I've lost my mind. _I_ think I've lost my mind.

"Think yes, Edward. Think yes. See you at lunch." He heads to history class.

I get to economics and take my seat next to Angela. I look around the room. No, Rosalie. No, Emmett. Okay, that's four of them not here. I wish I knew for sure if Bella is here today.

"Did Ben talk to you about Seattle?" It takes me a few seconds to register that Angela is speaking to me.

"What? Oh, yeah." I'm still looking for Emmett and Rosalie.

"Well, are you coming with us?"

"I don't know. I don't want to be the third wheel." Renee really got to me last night.

"Please come, Edward. I need someone to help me. You know he'll pick something hideous. I need another person to help me convince him that he looks ridiculous. I don't want the pictures to look bad." She's begging, too. I think Angela really wants me to go. "You could get fitted too. I bet you'd look great in a tux."

I look at Angela like she has just sprouted a second head. "Why on earth would I need a tuxedo?"

"Well," she starts, "if you asked someone to the dance you would need to dress appropriately."

This is stopping now. "I am not asking anyone to any dance."

"You could ask Bella."

"No, I couldn't. End of topic. Change the subject." I'm not doing this today. Today I'm asking her if she's a vampire. After that, she's either going to think I'm insane or kill me…literally.

"Okay," she relents, "but come with us anyway. I really do need your help. He'll listen to both of us."

"We'll see." Class starts then ending our conversation. I can't quit looking around for the Emmett or Rosalie. Where are they? Why aren't they here?

When the bell rings Angela says, "Are you okay? You were distracted for the whole class."

"I didn't sleep much last night. Weird dreams." It's hard to sleep when you are having vivid dreams of the first girl you've ever found interesting biting your neck and draining the life from your body. Okay, the neck biting thing wasn't so bad, but I really don't have any desire to die right now.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now." Maybe not ever. I mean, really, what is there to talk about? I think Bella's a vampire, but I still find her interesting and attractive enough to confront her with it. Only the truly insane would ever go near a vampire and risk being their meal. I should be avoiding her, not looking forward to seeing her.

"Okay. You know that if you need to talk, I'm here."

Angela is a great friend, but I don't think I should involve her in this. If I'm right, I could put her in danger. If I'm wrong, well, it would be another witness to my insanity. "Yeah, I know thanks."

"Hey!" Ben calls to us as we approach the cafeteria. "Well, did she convince you to go?"

"Please, Edward, say yes," Angela pleads.

I may need to get out of Forks by Friday, depending on how my conversation with Bella goes in biology. "Okay. You've both worn down my defenses. I'll go." Renee is going to have a field day with this.

"Great! And thanks."

"Yeah, thanks, Edward. Now you can keep her from putting me in something stupid."

"Me put you in something stupid?! I need Edward to keep you from picking out something ridiculous!" They start a mock argument about tuxedos.

I get inside the cafeteria and immediately start searching for Bella. I look at their usual table. No one. I look ahead in the line. They aren't there either. I look behind us in the line. No Cullens.

"Bella isn't here today," Ben says.

"What?" That sounded way too distressed.

"None of them are here today. Haven't you noticed? You do have classes with them." Angela is rolling her eyes at me.

"I noticed that the others weren't here, but I thought maybe Bella would be." I think I just admitted to my two best friends that I'm interested in her; in a roundabout way.

"That's not what I meant. I thought you would have picked up on this, since you study them so much."

"I do not study them." Have I been that obvious? "Picked up on what?"

Angela rolls her eyes again as she explains, "Whenever it is nice and sunny outside none of them come to school. I heard that their parents take them out of school to go hiking and hunting and fishing and stuff. They're evidently very outdoorsy. Must be from living in Alaska."

"Oh." I'm beyond disappointed. I wanted to get the confrontation over with today to ease my own mind, if nothing else. I'd like to sleep tonight.

"You really hadn't noticed?" Ben is looking at me like I'm joking with them.

"No. I hadn't really correlated the two events." And I hadn't.

"Intimidating," Ben mutters. "Can't you just say that you didn't put the two things together?"

I ignore Ben. "Bella has been here almost every day since that first week and it wasn't sunny that week. It rained every day, remember?"

"Almost every day, but not every day. Think about it. You'll see that I'm right," Angela says looking smug.

She probably is right. I just hadn't noticed before. That's interesting. This is going to be a long day. I hope it rains tomorrow.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It didn't rain the next day or the next. It's all sunshine and no Bella. By Friday I am in a foul mood and this just fuels Ben's fire. He now thinks that I am in love with Bella Cullen. I don't know her well enough to be in love with her. I think she's interesting and attractive, but none of that will matter if she is what I think she is. He keeps making comments like "love from afar" and "object of my affection". If I have to endure this all the way to Seattle, I'm going to hit him.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Six**

Ben and Angela follow me home Friday afternoon from school so that I can drop off my truck. I'm really not in the mood for this trip. Bella hasn't been back to school all week and I can now admit to Angela that I am frustrated. I know that I am going to be bad company. As I climb into the back seat of Ben's Civic, I'm already hoping this is a quick trip.

"I was thinking that we could go to the Mexican restaurant that's close to the mall for dinner. Is that okay with you Edward?" Angela loves Mexican food. I don't care where we eat. I'd rather not be going at all.

"Sure. Whatever." Anything is better than the endless chicken spaghetti I've been enduring all week. I swear it's multiplying in the refrigerator. The foul concoction won't go away!

Ben looks at me in the rearview mirror, "You have got to snap out of this, Dude. She'll probably be back on Monday. It's not like she died or something."

I cough to keep from bursting into hysterical laughter. No, she's not dead. She's undead! Something must be seriously wrong with me that I can joke, albeit in my own mind, about vampires living in Forks. "I don't want to talk about Bella Cullen tonight." All I've done all week is think about her and do more vampire research. I'm almost convinced that's what she is.

"Why not?" I glare at the back of Ben's head. If I ever needed the ability to shoot laser beams out of my eyes.

"Leave him alone. We don't have to talk about her if you don't want to." Angela is looking at me sympathetically. I don't need her pity… yet. I could be wrong. Bella doesn't act like the vampires in the movies. Worst case scenario, I confront her with it, she slaps me across the face, calls me a freak, and never speaks to me again. Okay, maybe that's the best case scenario. Worst case? I'm right and she kills me. Strangely enough, I'm not afraid. I actually think I'm _more_ attracted to her. I am officially nuts.

"Thank you." I am in no mood for Ben and his little jabs tonight. "What color is your dress, Ang.?"

"It's lavender and…."

I don't really hear anything else. Angela is giving us a full description. I knew if I got her started she would just keep talking about the dance. She's very excited. She and Ben weren't dating last year for the Spring Fling so this is their first dance. She's moved on to decorations now. She's on the planning committee. She says that she needed an activity for her college applications, but I think she actually enjoys being involved. I just want to get to Seattle, get Ben dressed, eat, and go home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It's a good thing that I came along. Angela was right about Ben and the ridiculous. He walked in the door and asked for "something in a powder blue". He then tried to talk Angela into a purple tux to "match her dress". Listening to Angela persuade him against the shirt with the ruffles on the front and on the cuffs was almost worth making the trip. After much disagreement, Angela and I talk him into basic black, but he insists on tails. He says that he needs to make a statement. I don't know what statement he thinks that he is making with tails, but the shorter coat makes him look a little taller. Ben could use the help in the height department. He's barely five foot three inches tall. Angela is about four inches taller than him. I tower over them both a six foot two.

We decide to walk to the restaurant. On the way there we pass a Native American bookstore. "Um, guys. Do you mind if I stop in that bookstore? I want to see if they have a book I read about on-line."

"Sure. We can stop." Angela says.

"No, no. You go on and get us a table. I won't be long." I don't want them to see what I'm interested in. I already doubt my sanity; I don't need them to question it too.

I enter the store and start to look around. I find the Quileute section and start looking for a book on their legends. There are a lot of books here on the Quileutes. They're the dominate tribe in this area. I pick up one and flip to the contents. No cold-ones. I flip through another one and find a picture of a cold-one. It's a drawing and looks nothing like any of the Cullens. This is a monster with long arms and claws and fangs. I put it back on the shelf. I keep going through the books on the rack looking for any mention of a cold-one. I find a couple that look good. They both have chapters about the cold-one legend and the wolf legend. No pictures though. What do I think I would find; a photo of Bella Cullen with the caption "Cold-one" underneath? I go up to the counter and pay for them. I get outside and notice that it's not twilight anymore. It's dark, very dark. I must have stayed in there longer than I thought. Bookstores and libraries have that effect on me. Now I'm wishing that Angela and Ben had come in with me. I start toward the restaurant. I get almost there when I'm suddenly grabbed from behind and dragging into an alleyway. Someone has a forearm against my throat and I feel something sharp against my right side.

"Give me your money," a voice demands in my ear. His breath smells like alcohol and nicotine. I think he has a knife pressed into my right side. I can feel the tip against me shirt.

"Okay. I just have to get my wallet." He's going to have to let go of me so I can get into my back pocket. I should try to run when he loosens his grip, but I would probably just fall on my face. Maybe if I give him what little money I have with me he won't kill me.

"Get it," he sneers in my ear. His breath is revolting and I gag a little.

"You're going to have to let me reach into my back pocket. Stay calm. I'll give you my money, just don't hurt me." He releases his hold on me and I reach slowly into my back pocket. I almost have my wallet out when a car suddenly pulls into the alley. The bright lights blind us both. My attacker lets go of me to shield his eyes from the lights.

"Get in the car!" a female voice orders. I don't hesitate. I run for the car. As I get to passenger side door I look to my right and see Bella standing in the driver side door. Then I hear something growl. I quickly get in the car. Bella is already in the car and putting it in reverse. She squeals the tires as she backs out of the alley and out to the main road.

"Edward?" She's staring straight ahead through the windshield of the car. She has the strangest look on her face.

"Yes?" I answer her. I don't know what else to say. I should be shaking with fear, but I'm actually happy. I'm happy to see her!

"Are you alright?" She still isn't looking at me. She has the steering wheel in a death grip.

"I think so." I can't quit looking at her. She is quite possibly even more beautiful when she's angry.

"Did he hurt you in any way? Have you been cut?"

How did she know that he had a knife? "I don't think so. Nothing hurts. I don't smell any blood."

She turns then to look at me. The expression has changed. Now she looks confused. "Good."

"Are you okay?" I have to keep her talking. Her voice is the most amazing sound I have ever heard.

"No," she answers. She turns back to the windshield and says, "I sometimes have a problem with my temper. I need you to talk to me; calm me down so that I don't go back and do something irrational."

"Like what?" What would she do? Go back and kill the guy?

She looks back at me and says, "Like go back there and murder that fiend."

Not the answer I was expecting. "Okay. Calm it is. Mike Newton is in love with you."

She smiles a crooked half smile. "What Mike feels for me would never be classified as love. I believe that it would fall more into the category of lust."

"How would you know?" What has Newton been saying to her?!

"Trust me I know," she says with a laugh. She makes a left turn on what seems like two wheels. How fast are we going?

"Ben and Angela are going to be worried about me. I was supposed to meet them at the restaurant."

"Do you mean here?" She is pulling into Sabor Latino's parking lot. I had been staring at her the whole ride and didn't realize she had driven around the block.

"How did you know?" I didn't tell her where to go. I didn't even mention meeting them at a restaurant until two seconds ago. She doesn't answer me. She gets out of the car, so I do the same. Angela and Ben are coming out of the restaurant.

"Where have you been? We waited and waited." Ben nudges Angela then and she finally notices Bella. "Oh."

"Good evening, Angela. Hello, Ben. I'm so sorry that I kept Edward. We ran into each other at the bookstore and began talking. I'm afraid that we lost track of time." She smiles at Ben dazzling him. "Do you mind if I join you three for dinner?"

"Um, we've already eaten. Sorry, Edward, we couldn't wait any longer," Angela says. Ben is still incoherent.

"Oh. I'm afraid that I have ruined your evening, Edward. I do apologize. Let me make it up to you by buying you dinner. I can give Edward a ride home if that is alright with you, Ben."

"Huh?" Ben is still out of it.

"It's fine with us, if that's what Edward wants." Angela answers for him.

"I am a little hungry." I'm lying of course. I just don't want to leave Bella yet. I don't know if I could eat anything right now. I have butterflies doing acrobatics in my stomach.

"Well then, shall we?" She's looking at me expectantly.

As I walk past Angela to get to the door she whispers in my ear, "Call me as soon as you get home."

We enter the restaurant, although I'm at a loss as to why. I can't eat anything and she won't eat anything. This is an exercise in futility. The hostess tries to seat us at a booth near the door, but Bella asks her for something more private in the back. I think that she slips her a tip, but I can't be sure. Who still does that? Whatever she did, it works. We're escorted to a table in the back corner of the restaurant far from the other patrons. Bella smiles politely and tells the hostess thank you. I can't seem to remove my eyes from Bella's face. This is surreal. I've been fantasizing for over a week about this moment and now that it's here, I don't know what to do. I am truly a dork.

Bella is looking at me with concern. "How do you feel, Edward?"

"I'm fine," I answer her, but I'm a bit confused. Do I look like I feel bad? "And you?" She was so angry in the car. She seems calmer now.

"I'm getting better, but you should be in shock. A normal person that has just been attacked and almost killed would be hysterical right now. You are amazingly calm and stoic." She tilts her head to the right and leans in towards me. "How are you staying so calm?"

I smile at her and answer, "I'm good at blocking unpleasant things from my mind. It's a survival mechanism." She still looks confused. "I have a crazy Mom. She does unusual things sometimes. I have to block things or I would die of embarrassment." Why do I keep talking like a freak?!

"Oh. Well, you should still eat something. You need the sugar in your system." The waiter arrives then to take our drink orders. I order a Coke and Bella orders the same. Then she says, "Do you know what you want to eat?"

I lean towards her and say with a slight smirk, "Do you?" Let's see how you answer that one you little vamp.

She leans in and copies my smirk, then says, "I'll have whatever you're having."

That's not what I thought she would say. It throws me a bit. I'm not used to being outwitted. The vampire conversation could get tricky. I'm not even sure how to bring it up and now I'm afraid that she'll outwit me. Plus, I find it hard to concentrate when I look at her. She's so beautiful. Those black and gold eyes are mesmerizing. She hasn't broken eye contact with me yet. It's like she's challenging me.

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter breaks the spell. I take a breath and look at the menu to regain my composure. I can't remember what I usually get.

"You go ahead," she says to me. I scan the menu quickly. I order the chicken chimichanga with beans and rice. She says, "I'll have the same." Why did she bother? She won't eat any of it. She never eats regular food. I'm almost nervous to find out what she does eat. But, again, I'm not nervous enough to do the sensible thing and run away.

I look at her quizzically and say, "Will you eat any of it?" The look on her face turns dark. I may have crossed a line. Then she gives me that crooked half smile and looks down at the table. She shakes her head. "Bella," I start, "why won't you tell me how you pushed me out of the way of Tyler's van?" I might as well jump right in.

"I'd rather hear your theories." She looks up at me and smiles. I melt a little on the inside. Her eyes are still mostly black, but the gold ring is a little wider than it was in biology. I wonder why her eyes look like that when she's near me.

"Well, at first I thought superhuman mutant or something like that," I admit. "I used to be into comics and the X-Men were my favorite. Some of them were super fast and super strong."

"You said 'at first', what do you think now?" She's chewing nervously on her bottom lip. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Well, I didn't come up with it on my own. My friend Jacob told me a story and it reminded me of you. Jake's a Quileute Indian and he told me a story about wolves and cold-ones." I look at her and try to de-cipher her expression. It's just blank. "He also mentioned your family's name."

This changes her expression. Her eyes narrow and she says, "What's your friend's last name?"

"Black. Jacob Black," I answer her. She sucks in a breath. Does she know Jake?

"Ephraim Black's descendant has broken the treaty," she mumbles, I think to herself. She just confirmed a treaty. The story was true?! I can't believe it. I'm right. She's a vampire!

"In Jake's defense, he didn't believe the story. He thinks that it's just a silly superstition. He thinks that it's a story the grown-ups use to scare the little kids." He didn't do anything wrong intentionally. Surely she can understand that. He didn't come right out and say that the Cullens are vampires.

"What do you think? Do you think that it's a silly superstition?" She's looking me directly in the eyes and she isn't smiling. This must be what Angela meant by 'intense'.

"I did, but then I did a little research on the internet. I found some books at the bookstore." I look around the table. Where are my books? "Crap, I must have dropped them in the alley." My books are not with me and I don't remember having them in the car.

She laughs and says, "We're not going back for them. If that lowlife is still there I don't think that I could control myself."

"How did you know where to find me? Were you following me?" I know I hadn't told her that we were coming to Seattle tonight. She hasn't been at school.

"No, I didn't follow you. I had a little help." She looks down at her hands and begins playing with her nails.

"I don't understand." Who helped her? I didn't tell anyone about our trip. Ben, Angela, and I were the only ones that knew we were going to be coming here.

"Alice 'saw' you die in that alley tonight."

I almost spit Coke all over her. "She what?!" What did she mean by that?

"My sister can see the future." She says it so matter-of-factly that it almost doesn't sound ridiculous. Almost, but not quite.

"Can you all do that?!" What if all five of them can see the future? That would explain never taking notes and always knowing the answers. This is getting weirder by the second.

"No, that's just Alice." She again acts like it's no big deal.

"Do you do anything… like that?" What else does she do beside move at the speed to light and stop two ton vehicles with her body?

"Sort of." She smiles at me again. I must look hilarious to her. I don't know whether to laugh hysterically or run screaming from the room. It's probably written all over my face.

"Well, what?" I think I might have said that a little loud. A couple of people in the lower dining room turn to look our way. I can't help it. This is a little upsetting.

"I can read minds." She says it so calmly. Like everyone can do it.

"You can read my mind?! Are you reading it now?!" That must be why she looks like she fighting to keep from laughing. She's seeing my hysteria.

"No, I can't read your mind. Everyone else in the world, but not you." She smiles her crooked half smile. I love that smile. "You're completely silent to me. It's so strange. I've tried countless times to 'hear' you, but I can't. Why is that?" Her eyes narrow as she looks at me.

"Is there something wrong with my brain?" I've hit my head a lot in my life. I must have caused some type of damage. Or maybe I have a tumor.

"I tell you that I can read minds and you think that there is something wrong with you. Priceless." She shakes her head and looks down at the table.

She's laughing at me now. "I'm glad I amuse you. So you came here to save my life… again." As if once wasn't enough.

Her expression suddenly gets very serious. "I couldn't let it happen." She rests her forehead in the palm of her right hand. "Alice told me and I panicked. Rose told me not to interfere with fate, but I just couldn't stay in Forks." She looks up at me again. "I couldn't let it happen. I was almost too late. I let him get too close. I could see it in his mind. I don't think that I could survive if something happened to you."

Okay, that's a strange thing to say. "Why don't you think you could survive?" She barely knows me. Why does my life matter that much to her?

"I don't know. I just feel that way. I can't let you die." Then she looks earnestly into my eyes and says, "And I can't kill you."

"I wasn't aware that it was a possibility." I'm a little taken aback by this admission. I really didn't think that her killing me was an option. It had crossed my mind, but I never honestly believed that she would do it. For some reason I'm not afraid of her at all. I'm nuts.

The food arrives, but I'm not really hungry anymore. This conversation is not going like I had imagined it would. I've heard things that I didn't think were possible and I'm a little freaked out by it. But, again, not freaked out enough to run away from her. I must be insane.

"Edward, can we talk about this in the car on the way home? There are too many ears here."

She has a point. I don't think I want anyone to hear me call her a vampire and I'm at the point that I need confirmation. I'll ask her in the car. "Is it safe to get in the car with you?"

"I think so." She thinks so?! What does that mean?!

"You think or you know?" She had said the same thing to me in biology last week. The difference is that in biology it wasn't a life or death situation. Dying really is not on my agenda for tonight.

"We'll see, won't we?" She smiles my favorite smile again. She has to know what that does to me. "Are you afraid?" She looks like she wants me to be, but I'm really not.

"No. I don't think you'll hurt me." I really don't think she will. I don't know why, but I feel almost safe with her.

"I don't think I will either. Alice is fairly sure that I won't. At least I won't tonight. She hasn't seen anything past tonight. You were supposed to die in the alley, remember?"

"I don't think I want you to remind me of that." I kind of want to block out the whole episode entirely.

I stir my beans and rice together. Bella copies me. I smile at her and say, "Why are you doing that? You aren't going to eat it, are you?"

"No, I won't be eating this. It would look strange if it wasn't moved around a little though. You can have it if you want it." She pushes the plate toward me.

"I've got my own, thanks." I use a chip to scoop up my beans and rice mixture. I put the whole thing in my mouth and chew.

"You're a seventeen year old man, Edward. I'm sure you could eat both meals and still have room for dessert." She's smiling at me as she starts cutting the chimichanga into bite size pieces. She pushes a few into her beans and rice mixture.

"Probably, but I'm watching my figure." She smiles and raises her eyebrows at this comment. "What?"

"Nothing. Eat." I take a bite and chew slowly, staring at her face. She's watching my mouth as I eat. I take another bite and she raises one eyebrow. I take a drink of Coke and she licks her lips.

"Okay, I have to ask. What's so fascinating about me eating?"

"I don't know. I don't remember much about being human and I don't usually get this close to a human. I think it's the way your mouth moves. I can't stop watching." She looks down at the table and begins tearing her napkin into small pieces.

I feel the heat of my blush creeping up my neck to my face. "Well, I'm done. I'm too self conscious to eat now. And I have a few questions I need to ask you. Let's go back to Forks."


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Seven**

We leave the restaurant and get in the Volvo. A small part of my brain is saying that this is not a good idea. I can hear the little voice saying 'Don't get in the car with a vampire, you idiot!', but I'm ignoring that voice. I'm listening to the other little voice that really isn't residing in my brain exactly. He's saying things like 'This woman is beautiful and she wants to spend time with you. So what if she's a blood sucking vampire. Look at her, Man! Get in the car and enjoy the ride.' It's amazing how loud that little voice is screaming. Thank God that she can't read my mind.

I look over at her. Dear Lord, she's breathtaking. She turns the heat up and turns the radio off. As she puts the car in reverse to pull out of the parking space I notice that she doesn't have on her seatbelt. "You should buckle your seatbelt," I say to her. She turns to look at me and then laughs. "What?"

"I think that you have figured out exactly what I am and it's hilarious that you honestly think I should put on my seatbelt." She's still laughing as she puts the car in drive and pulls onto the highway.

"It's the law you know," I remind her. "We have rules in Washington. One of them is the Seatbelt Law. You should put it on, even if you don't need it for survival."

"Fine, Dudley Dooright, if it makes you happy." She buckles her seatbelt and rolls her eyes at me. "So, are you going to say it out loud or just sit there and act all smug that you figured it out?"

"I wasn't aware that I was acting smug. Do you need to hear it out loud?" I'm thinking of teasing her a little about it, but both little voices are in consensus on one thing: 'Don't tease the vampire!'

"I think I do," she says as she tightens her grip on the steering wheel. "I think I need to be sure that you know what you're getting yourself into."

I take a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing. "Bella, I believe that you are a vampire. Am I right?" I look at her in the dark. The lights from the dashboard illuminate her face. The result is absolutely mindboggling. Each feature of her face is accentuated in the bluish light. My heart catches in my chest. She turns and looks at me strangely.

"Edward, are you alright? Your heart just stuttered." She looks very concerned. "Are you afraid?"

"No, I'm not afraid at all." She heard my heart. This could be a bad thing. I'm fairly sure that I'll have that reaction again. She may not be able to read my mind, but she can read my heart. "You didn't answer my question."

"You should be afraid." She looks upset. She tightens her death grip on the steering wheel. "You shouldn't be so calm about the whole thing. Most humans are afraid of us and they don't even know why they're afraid. Mike is even a little afraid of me. You know why you should be and you aren't."

"I'm not afraid of you," I say. How can I be? She's fascinating to me.

"I'm a vampire." She turns to look at me, ignoring the road.

"It doesn't matter." I gesture for her to watch the road.

"I'm a monster; a murderer." She looks back out the windshield then drops her eyes briefly to her lap.

"I don't care." I reach out to touch her arm; to reassure her. She moves before our skin can make contact.

"I've killed people before." She's watching the road again and driving with her left hand. She's rubbing the back of her neck with her right hand.

"I trust you." I do trust her… completely.

"Don't, don't trust me. It's not safe to trust me." She's obviously upset. I don't like Upset Bella. The steering wheel can't take much more abuse.

"You won't hurt me. You can't, remember?" She said it at the restaurant. She can't kill me. I'm safe with her, right?

"Edward, I almost _killed_ you." She rubs her forehead with the back of her right hand. "The first day I met you I almost killed you. You walked into biology and you smelled so delicious. I've never smelled another human that smells as good to me as you. I can usually just ignore the scent of human blood, but you…. I swear I thought you were the end of me. I started thinking of how I could have you right there in that classroom. I sat there for the entire hour trying to figure out how to get you away from everyone else and taste you. Savor you really. You're like a drug that I didn't even know I was addicted to. I had to get away from you or ruin my entire family. I ran like a coward from that classroom and I didn't stop running until I got home." She's staring straight ahead. She's gripping and releasing the steering wheel like she's nervous.

"Wow." I say as she takes a breath. "That's the longest speech you've said to me since we met."

"You aren't afraid now?" She looks at me like she hopes that I am. "You really should be, you know? I keep waiting for you to bail out of the car and run screaming into the night."

"I would either seriously injure myself or kill myself if I jumped out of this car. So, you don't have to worry about that. And, obviously you have it under control. I mean, here I am, in a car with you and you aren't trying to kill me. That's a good sign, right?" She won't even touch me. How can she kill me if she won't touch me?

"Edward, I'm barely hanging on here. You don't understand the amount of self-control it's taking me to not drain you here in this car. My heart won't let me kill you, but my body thirsts for you. Never forget what I am and how dangerous it is for you. I can never be careless or lose control. It would only take one momentary lapse of judgment."

It's time to change the subject. This is too upsetting for her. I can't stand for her to be unhappy. "Where did you go for that first week?"

"I went back to Alaska. We have family still living in Denali. I say family, but it's really another coven that believes as we do and adheres to the same diet. I went to stay with them. I didn't really intend to come back, but I was miserable there. I couldn't quit thinking about you. The longer I was there I noticed that I thought less of killing you and more of getting to know you. My heart won over my thirst, so I came back." She turns and smiles that crooked half smile that I love so much.

"You mentioned your beliefs. What does that mean?" This subject seems to be a happier one.

"My family and I believe that human life is precious. We don't drink human blood. We drink from animals only. That's why the Quileutes made the treaty with us. Carlisle convinced their leader at the time, Ephraim Black, that we're less dangerous because we won't take a human life to sustain us."

"So, you've lived in Forks before?"

"Yes. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and I lived here in the thirties. Rosalie hadn't found Emmett yet. And Alice and Jasper hadn't found us yet. I'll tell you that story later. It's a good one." She turns and smiles at me again. She isn't gripping the wheel as tightly anymore.

"Bella, how old are you?" If she was here in 1930, then she's at least sixty. Wow, I had no idea I was attracted to older women.

"I'm seventeen." She's doing that lip chewing thing. Still, the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"No, I mean when were you born?" She knows what I meant.

"Which time?"

"It can happen twice?" She's evading the question.

"My human birth was in 1901. My vampire birth was in 1918. Technically I'm 107 years old, but I will forever be seventeen. I'm frozen in time, so to speak." She smirks. "I don't age. I'll never die a natural death. Here I am, seventeen for all of eternity." She looks at me wistfully.

"You know, there are people in this world that would love to forgo aging and dying." She snaps her head toward me and glares like I've blasphemed in front of the Pope.

"At what price?! Would they give up their humanity?! Their soul?! Edward, this is not the life I would have chosen for myself." She looks horrified. I didn't mean to upset her. "You can't imagine how I suffer. Constantly thirsting for human blood and feeling like a monster for it. Knowing that I'm a soulless murderer and that no matter how I live for the rest of eternity, I will never get back my soul. I've existed for ninety years in misery because of what I am and what I'm capable of. I would never wish this on another creature." She looks as if she may cry. I couldn't take it if she cried.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't realize. I guess I thought you chose this. I don't know why I would think that. I'm sorry." I can't stand for her to be upset.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore right now, Edward. We're almost to your house anyway." She's death gripping the steering wheel again. I don't know how she's not snapping it in two.

"How did you know where I live?" She drove directly to my neighborhood like she's been here a thousand times. I didn't even give her my address, much less directions.

She smiles my smile and says, "I've been to your house a couple of times, Edward. Just to check."

"Check on what?"

"You." She looks at me and shrugs. "You're a magnet for trouble. I worry."

"Thanks, I think." I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out. "You know, I can take care of myself. Been doing it for seventeen years now." We're pulling into my driveway. I can't believe how quickly the trip went. It usually takes twice that long to get from Seattle to Forks. I wonder how fast she was driving.

"I'll try to remember that the next time I have to save your life." She turns off the engine and turns toward me in her seat. "Edward, do you feel okay with everything?"

"Yeah. Why shouldn't I be okay with it?" I don't understand the question.

"You're handling all of this amazingly well. It's a little scary for me. You should be more upset. You have confirmation that monsters are real and living in your home town. You're being abnormally calm. It's a bit unsettling."

"Well for one thing, I don't consider you a monster. And secondly, I have a habit of blocking out unpleasant things, remember? You don't scare me, Bella. I think I can handle it." I try to smile reassuringly at her. I want her to be comfortable with me knowing her secret.

"You should get inside. Your mother is trying to figure out who drove you home. She knows that this isn't a Civic." She gestures to the car and smiles.

"Great. She's awake. This is going to be fun. What is she thinking exactly?" I had really hoped that Renee would be asleep. She's going to have a field day with this and I really don't feel like dealing with her right now. It's been an eventful evening, to say the least. I really just want to take a shower and go to bed. I still have to call Angela and let her know that I made it home and that conversation is going to be more than enough for me tonight.

"She's wondering who you're with and why you lied to her about it. You better get inside and explain it to her before she gets angry." I open the door to get out and she says, "Edward, I had a really good time with you tonight."

"Yeah, me too." I want so badly to lean across the car and kiss her, but I don't want to cross any lines. Now I really don't want to go inside.

"Well, I'll see you Monday." She starts the engine.

"Um, okay. See ya." I get out of the car and walk to the front door. I turn around before I open the door in time to see her Volvo round the corner and speed off into the night. I miss her already.

I don't even get in the door before Renee pounces. "Who was that? I thought you were going to Seattle with Ben and Angela. That wasn't Ben's car. Who were you with?"

"Mom, calm down. It was just a friend. No big deal." I try to go around her to get to my room. I have to call Angela.

"No big deal? You lied to me, Mister. I'm your mother. I have a right to know who you're spending time with. Who was it?"

She picks now to be a mother. "It was Bella Cullen, okay? It really is not a big deal. I went to Seattle with Ben and Angela. I ran into Bella at a bookstore and we ended up eating dinner together and then she drove me home. It's nothing to get excited about." I am so excited about it. "Can I go now?"

"You had a date?" She has an expression now that is half confusion and half hope. It's kind of funny.

"No. I ran into my biology lab partner and we had dinner. It was not a date." I wish it were a date. "I told Angela I would call her when I got home. Can I go now?"

Renee sudden grabs my wrists and starts twirling me around the living room. She's going to sling me onto the floor if she doesn't stop. "You had a date! You had a date! You have to tell me everything. Did you hold her hand? Did you kiss her? I can't believe you had a date… and with Dr. Cullen's daughter. Good choice, Sweetie."

"Mom, let go. You're going to make me hurt myself." She is getting way too excited about what is probably nothing. "It was not a date. Can I go now?"

"Are you going to see her again?" Now it's just hopeful.

"Yeah, at school, in biology where she is my lab partner. This is not the big deal you are making it. I have to go call Angela so she knows that I made it home okay. Can I go now?"

"Go, go! Call Angela. I'm so happy for you, baby." She dances into the living room to turn off the television and heads for the stairs. "We can talk more about it on Sunday. I thought we'd go to the IHOP in Port Angeles for pancakes. Good night, Edward. Have sweet dreams of Bella." She disappears up the stairs and I head to the kitchen to use the phone. I hope the call to Angela goes better than the conversation with Renee. I doubt that it will. I have a feeling that I'm about to have the exact same conversation without the twirling.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I was right about the conversation with Angela. It took me a full thirty minutes to convince her that I hadn't planned to meet Bella at the bookstore. I hate lying. I'm not good at it, but I stuck to the story that Bella had started at the restaurant. I thought it best to leave out the almost mugging. How would I explain to Angela or Renee that Bella's sister had a vision of me dying in an alley? Yeah, it's best to keep that to myself.

I finally got Angela off of the telephone around midnight. I had to get in the bed. I had to be at Newton's by nine o'clock this morning. If I had known that I was going to be working with Mike I might have called in sick. He isn't supposed to be here today. It's my Saturday and his mother is supposed to be here, but she had a garden club event to attend. So here I am, stuck with Mike. Oh joy.

He's obsessing about Bella again. "Why does she keep turning me down? Doesn't she know who I am?" Egotistical much? "I called her house last night and that big brother of hers said that she wasn't there." That's right, moron, she was with me. "Do you think that she's avoiding my call? She wouldn't do that, would she?"

"I don't know, Mike. Why do you keep trying if she keeps saying no? Give it up, move on to another girl. Surely there is someone else that you're interested in." Find another poor, innocent girl to inflict your idiocy on and leave my Bella alone.

"You're right. Maybe I'll give Jessica another chance." Just then the door opens. Customers will distract Mike. "Hey guys, can I help you find something?"

"No, you can't, but Edward can. Is he busy?" Crap, that's Emmett Cullen. I'd recognize his voice anywhere. Why is he asking for me?

"Um, Edward, you have customers." Mike retreats to the back muttering under his breath. I look up to see Emmett and Alice Cullen standing just inside the door of the store. Alice is waving wildly in my direction. They're both smiling at me. I look behind me just to make sure that they are looking at me and step around the counter to see what they want.

"Um, hi. Can I help you with something?" Alice lunges at me and honestly it scares the heck out of me at first until I realize that she's hugging me.

"Edward! We just wanted to come and meet you. Oo, you do smell good. Bella's being stubborn and won't bring you to the house, even though I told her that I see you at the house. I've told her that she's going to play for you and you're going to love it. I've told her that she should bring you to the house. I told her that you and Emmett are going to be great friends and that I already like you because you make her happy, but she's being stubborn. She's always so stubborn. She should know better than to try to defy me, but she's being her normal self…."

"Alice, take a breath. You're giving _me_ a headache. Just imagine how you're coming across to Edward. I'm sorry, bro. She's just like this… all the time. We very rarely get her to shut up." He shakes his head at her and looks apologetically at me. Then he extends his right hand. "She's right about one thing though, we did want to meet you." He shakes my hand. It's ice cold just like Bella's. "And we need new camping gear. What we have is more for the extreme cold of Alaska and not the extreme wet of Washington."

"Yeah, okay. I can help with that. It's nice to meet you both, by the way." God, I'm a dork. "What all do you need?" I spend the next hour helping Emmett pick out about $1000 in camping equipment. Alice walks around the store complaining that there aren't any clothes in her size. I would bet my commission that she has to buy her clothes in the children's department; she is that small.

Before they leave the store Alice turns to me and says, "We'll be by at 7:15 on Monday morning to pick you up for school."

"I appreciate it Alice, but it's not necessary. I have a truck." Such as it is.

"It won't start," she says with absolute certainty.

"What?" Is there something wrong with my truck? It started just fine this morning.

"Your truck; it won't start." She's still very certain. Did they do something to my truck?

"Alice, it starts just fine. It's in the parking lot now. I drove it here this morning. I appreciate the offer, but I don't need a ride to school." Ben would get too much pleasure out of seeing me step out of the Cullens' car.

"Bro, don't argue with her. If she says that it won't start, then it won't start. Trust me on this one. She is very annoying, but she is very rarely wrong about these things. Weather and mechanical objects, anything that doesn't have a mind to change, she is fairly consistent about." He seems sure of it too.

"We'll be there at 7:15." And with that they walk out the door and get in a very large Jeep Wrangler. Now I'm worried about my truck. I can't afford to get it fixed. The only mechanic in town is well aware that he is the _only_ mechanic in town and he price gouges. Hopefully this will be the one time she's wrong.

"What did they want?" Mike sneers as he comes out of the back. I had almost forgotten that he was here.

"They needed new camping gear. Their old stuff evidently isn't suited for our weather conditions." I go back to totaling the week's receipts and checking the inventory in the computer.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He looks confused. No wait, that's his normal expression.

"They had camping equipment for extreme cold, but not for extreme wet. They bought almost $1000 in tents and sleeping bags. Your dad is going to love seeing today's receipts." We made our whole day on one sale.

"Did they say anything about Bella?" He looks so hopeful.

"No, should they?" I don't think it would be in my best interest to mention that Alice said that I make Bella happy. _I_ make Bella _happy_. "I thought you were going to give Jessica another chance. Why do you want to know if they mentioned Bella?"

"I can juggle two girls at once. I'm keeping my options open." He smirks. "You are splitting that commission with me, right?"

Hadn't planned on it. "Whatever you say, Mike." I would hate him, but _I_ make Bella _happy_!


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Eight**

My truck started just fine Saturday afternoon, so I'm a little perplexed to hear a car horn at promptly 7:15 this morning. I look out the window and see the shiny silver Volvo in my driveway. Emmett Cullen is getting out of the passenger side. I walk outside to inform them that a ride to school this morning is unnecessary. "Hey, Emmett. You can write this one in the record books. Alice is wrong. The truck started up and ran just fine Saturday. There's nothing wrong with her."

I hear Alice from the back seat of the Volvo, "Try it today." Bella is in the driver's seat smiling and shaking her head.

"Trust me, bro; she's about 99.9% accurate when it comes to mechanical objects. Go ahead and give it a try." He looks amused.

I sigh and go over to my truck. I put the key in the ignition and give it a turn. It makes a strange grinding noise, but it won't start. I try again and still nothing. I try a third time and the engine still will not turn over. "What did you do to my truck?"

"I didn't do anything to it." He looks like he's trying to not laugh.

Alice is leaning out of the backseat window. "It won't start." She looks very satisfied with herself.

"It was fine Saturday. What did you do?" They had to have done something to it. "Emmett, I can't afford to get it fixed. You have to tell me what you did or at least un-do it."

Bella gets out then and says over the top of the car, "He didn't do anything to it, Edward. You can trust me on this. Don't worry about getting it fixed. I'm sure Emmett can convince Rosalie to come by this afternoon and take a look at it for you. In the mean time, we're going to be late if you don't get in the car soon."

Emmett smacks me on the back as I walk to their car and says, "She's fairly accurate. Don't bet against her. You'll usually lose." He then climbs into the back seat with Alice.

"Emmett, you are way too big to be sitting back there. You should sit in front with Bella." He looks ridiculous back there.

"You're almost as tall as me. It would be a tight fit for you too. Anyway, I think Bella wants you in front with her." I can feel the heat rising up from my collar. I have got to learn how to control the blushing. "You're gonna have to quit doing that if you're going to be hangin' with the vampires." What does he mean by that?

"When the blood rushes to the skin like that it makes your scent much more potent," Alice explains. "Take a minute and calm down a little before you get in. You need to go back in the house and get your things anyway." She smiles. "Oh and Edward? I told you so." Then she laughs hysterically.

Bella still hasn't gotten back in the car. She looks in the car at Alice and rolls her eyes. "Ignore her. She's beyond annoying most of the time. If she weren't so cute and lovable, we'd have kicked her out years ago. Go get your things so we won't be late."

I walk back to the house still trying to figure out what just happened. My truck won't start. And Alice knew about it on Saturday. And Rosalie is going to fix it. Yeah, we'll see about that. I get my coat and bag and head back out the door. I get in the front passenger seat. That's when it dawns on me that only the Cullens are in the car. "Where's Rosalie and Jasper?"

"They took Rosalie's car today," Alice answers me. "Jasper is new to our diet. He didn't think that he could safely be in a confined space with you."

"He's afraid that he'll bite you, bro. And that would make Bella and me very angry. I really don't want to open a can of whoop ass on my brother." Emmett flexes in the back seat.

"I'd like to see that considering that Jasper has won the last three wrestling matches between you two." Alice defends her man well. "He's got experience on his side remember."

"So, Rosalie is driving him to school?" We pull into the parking lot then and I see a beautiful red BMW parked a couple of spaces down from where the Volvo usually parks. I take in a deep breath. I don't generally know cars, but this machine is amazing.

Bella growls softly and says, "Ostentatious." She pulls into her normal parking space. I'm still too awestruck by the BMW to realize that everyone milling around in the parking lot is staring as we all get out of Bella's car.

Alice skips to Emmett's side and takes his hand. "We're going to go find our significant others before class. Emmett needs to start working on Rosalie now. I see a very expensive gift in her future."

"What does she want?" Emmett asks as they walk away.

"What did she mean by that?" I ask Bella as I watch Emmett and Alice retreat.

"Rosalie isn't thrilled with the prospect of socializing with a human. She's afraid that you will expose us. Also, it's against the rules to reveal what we are to humans, unless of course we intend to kill them or change them. I intend to do neither to you. This makes her fear the possible repercussions should we be discovered. You look confused." She smiles at me and pushes her hair back from her face.

"Whose rules?" There are vampire rules?

"I'll explain it all to you later. I need to get to calculus and you need to get to English. Say hi to Rose when you see her. It might put her at ease if you just act normal around her. I'll see you at lunch." She waves to me as she walks to the math building. That's when I notice that people are staring at me. I hate that. I blush bright red and start toward the English building.

"Edward! Dude!" Ben is calling to me from the parking lot and waving for me to wait for him. "Did I just see you get out of the car with Bella, Emmett, and Alice Cullen? What happened Friday night, Man?!"

"Nothing happened Friday night. We had dinner and we talked. She drove me home. That's it."

"Is that when you planned to ride to school with them?" Uh, oh. I can't tell him the truth and I'm a horrible liar.

"Yeah. Um, I'll talk to you later, okay?" I duck quickly into my English classroom. I don't know what to tell him. Maybe Bella can help me come up with a good story. I'll ask her at lunch. I will see her at lunch. _I will see her at lunch!_ I have got to calm down and quit going all dork about this. I see Rosalie walk in the room. I wave at her. She frowns, but waves back and then takes her seat in the back near the windows. Maybe I'll talk to her after class._** Mrs. Morgan gets started and for a change I'm actually paying attention. I guess knowing that I will see Bella at lunch makes me concentrate. The bell rings and I get my things together. I turn to the door in time to see Rosalie exit. Oh well, I guess I won't be talking to her today. I step out into the hallway and there's Ben… and Emmett and Rosalie. Are they all waiting for me?**_

_**"Hey, bro! Rosie has agreed to take a look at your truck this afternoon." He has his arm draped across her shoulders. She shrugs off his arm and frowns at me.**_

_**"Don't call me that." She looks exasperated. "We'll come by after you get off work and I'll take a look. I don't guarantee that I can fix it, but I'll give it a try." She turns and walks away. Emmett waves and rushes to catch up to her. I hear her say "The two carat ones. That's a carat per ear. Do you understand?" I wonder how much my truck repairs are costing Emmett.**_

_**"Dude? What is going on?!" Shoot, I'd forgotten about Ben. I'm going to have to come up with a story on my own and fast.**_

_**"It's nothing. Emmett and Alice came in the store Saturday to get some camping equipment. I mentioned to Emmett that my truck was acting up and that I didn't think I could afford Dowling's. He offered a ride to school this morning and said that Rosalie would look at it for me." That came out quickly. I hope I sounded convincing.**_

_**"Rosalie?" He looks as skeptical as I feel.**_

_**"You heard her. I thought the same thing when he said it Saturday, but I guess she knows something about cars. We'll see I guess." We get to the math building then and I see Alice and Jasper going into trig class.**_

_**"Rosalie fixes cars?" Ben is still trying to figure it out. He looks perplexed.**_

_**"You know that you're being sexist, don't you? What would Angela think?" We enter the classroom then and I am suddenly hit by something small, cold, and hard. Alice is hugging me again.**_

_**"Edward! I want you to meet Jasper." She motions for him to come over to us. He looks extremely uncomfortable, but he walks slowly over. "Jasper, this is Edward. You know, the guy that Bella has been talking about." **_

_**Bella has been talking about me!!! I extend my hand for him the shake and say, "Nice to meet you, Jasper." He looks at my hand, but doesn't shake it. He nods and almost smiles. I lower my hand. Ben clears his throat behind me. "Oh. Alice, Jasper, this is my friend, Ben."**_

_**Alice smiles at Ben. "Hi, Ben. I'm happy to know you." Jasper just nods. I think he's holding his breath. **_

_**Mr. Varner walks in the room and tells everyone to take a seat so that we can get started. Alice waves and she and Jasper take their seats in the back near the door. Ben and I get seated. I notice that he is scrambling for a pencil. A few seconds later he passes me a note.**_

_**Edward, Bella is talking about you to her family! What REALLY happened Friday night?**_

_**I sigh and roll my eyes at him. I've already told him everything I feel comfortable telling him. I write back to him: Nosy much?**_

_**He gives me a dirty look. You're hiding something. I want details.**_

_**He deserves to suffer for all the grief he's dealt me the last few months. Besides, I can't really give him details. I'm a gentleman.**_

_**He writes something on the paper and tries to pass it back to me. I shake my head no. He pushes it toward me again. I mouth 'no' to him and shake my head again. I am not going to do this for the whole hour. It's sophomoric. He sighs loudly and shoves the note into the back of his notebook. I wish he'd tear it up and throw it away. Gran always said, "Don't write it down unless you want the whole world to read it." I don't know what Ben wrote, but I do know that I don't want anyone else to read it. **_

_**The bell rings and I turn in time to see Alice and Jasper leave the room. I turn back to Ben and say, "Destroy that note." He's giving me a hateful look. "What?"**_

_**"Why won't you tell me anything?" He's pouting. His bottom lip is actually jutted out in a real pout. He can't be serious.**_

_**"There's nothing to tell. You were there when I talked to Angela Friday night. I told her everything and I know you were listening." Okay, that's technically a lie. I didn't tell her everything. "I told you about Emmett and Alice coming in the store on Saturday. I honestly don't know what she meant when she said that Bella talks about me." I hate for him or Angela to be mad at me, but I just can't tell them everything. It's not mine to tell.**_

_**"Fine. Be that way," he says as he stomps out of the building. He'll just have to get over it. I told Bella that I wouldn't tell anyone and I meant it. I hope I get a warmer reception from Angela in economics.**_

~*~*~*~*~*~

_**Angela was better than Ben. She was curious about the ride to school so I told her the same story I told Ben. She bought it and seemed satisfied. At least she didn't interrogate me. Emmett waved to me when he and Rosalie entered the room but didn't approach. Angela waved to them when I did and smiled at me when she turned back around. I truly adore Angela. She's the best friend a nerdy guy can have. The more I think about how Ben is behaving the angrier I get. He's being a jerk. When the bell rings, Angela says, "So, are you eating lunch with us or them?"**_

_**"I guess you guys. I don't know really." We head toward the cafeteria and meet up with Ben. He's still giving me dirty looks. As we get closer I see Bella standing outside by the door. Angela and Ben both turn to look at me. I shrug.**_

_**As we get to the door Bella says, "Hi Angela. Hi Ben. Would it be too much of an imposition if I steal Edward for another meal today?" Then she smiles. This makes Ben instantly incoherent. His mouth is opening and closing; he looks like a fish. I elbow him in the arm and he closes his mouth.**_

_**"Sure Bella. We don't mind at all. We've been monopolizing his time for the past twelve years. He's all yours." She pushes me toward Bella and I turn to look at her. I don't need the push.**_

_**"Shall we?" I open the door and Bella enters ahead of me. Everyone turns to look at us. I start to blush. Bella reaches back and squeezes my wrist. When I look at her I see the look in her eyes. She's telling me to calm down. She smiles. My heart rate evens out. Crap, she heard that. We get in line and Bella puts a slice of pizza on her tray. I do the same. She takes a can of Coke from the cooler and so do I. When we get to the counter I pay for both trays. I'm a gentleman after all and I do owe her for dinner. We sit at an unoccupied table near the center of the cafeteria. Everyone is still watching us. I look up and see Mike glaring at me. I can't help myself. I smile at him and wave. I'll probably pay for that later.**_

_**"Everyone is staring." I hate it when people stare at me. It makes me uncomfortable. I blush when I'm uncomfortable. Evidently, not a good thing to do around a vampire.**_

_**"Not everyone." She opens her Coke and tears the crust off the pizza. She wrinkles her nose like she smells something unpleasant. Then she wipes her hands on a napkin.**_

_**I look around the cafeteria. She's wrong. "Yes, everyone. Look around."**_

_**"I don't need to look. I can hear them. Jessica Stanley is screaming in her mind." She glances briefly at Jessica and then looks back at me. "She's upset."**_

_**"Why?" What does Jessica have to be upset about? **_

_**"Edward, honestly, you must know." She smiles that crooked half smile that makes my heart flutter. She smiles wider and giggles a bit.**_

_**"Know what?" I look down and take a bite of pizza to try to get my heart to behave.**_

_**"Jessica finds you very attractive. Something about a haircut. The image I get is very vague. Did you cut your hair this summer?" **_

_**"Yes. Back up. Jessica Stanley thinks I am attractive? Since when?" She has to be "hearing" it wrong.**_

_**"She broke up with Mike for you. She's been trying to figure out a way ask you out without her friends thinking she's insane. She shouldn't worry. Lauren thinks you're handsome also."**_

_**I almost choke on a bite of pizza. "What?!" All I did was cut my hair. How could that make me suddenly attractive? Can vampires go insane?**_

_**"That's why Mike is so jealous of you. He's yelling quite loudly himself. It's a nice change from the usual perverse thoughts he has about me. His mind is a vile place to be. He's maybe two IQ points above an imbecile and he's perverted. I try to stay out of his head as much as possible."**_

_**I didn't think I could hate Mike Newton anymore that I already did. How dare he have perverse thoughts about my Bella? Someone should give him an attitude adjustment before he inflicts his perversion on anymore people. I've never thought of Jessica has a friend, but I'm glad she had the good sense to get away from him.**_

_**"I shouldn't have let you buy this food for me. It's a waste." She's still picking at the pizza.**_

_**"I don't mind. I know that you have to keep up appearances. I owe you for dinner anyway." I switch her opened can of Coke with my unopened can and take a drink. "Don't open that one. I'll put it in my bag for later."**_

_**"Edward, you don't owe me anything. Friday was the best night I've had in decades." She's looking me in the eye and I notice that there is more gold than black today. I wonder what that means.**_

_**"I may not be able to say decades, but it was an amazing night for me too. I'd be as big a fool as Mike if I didn't enjoy the company of a woman as beautiful and interesting as you." I hope that sounded as smooth coming out of my mouth as it sounded in my mind.**_

_**"If I could blush, Edward, I would. That's the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a very long time." She reaches across the table and lightly touches my hand. She pulls away too quickly. I want her to touch my hand forever.**_

_**I wish I could think of more sweet things to say to her, but I don't usually do sweet that well. I'm more of the smart-aleck type. "Are Jessica and Mike still yelling in their minds?"**_

_**"Not Jessica. She wants to ask you to go to Port Angeles with her on Friday." She picks up her napkin and discreetly places a couple of bites of pizza in it.**_

_**"Oh. I have to work Friday." I wouldn't have agreed to go with her anyway. I would have come up with some excuse to say no. I'm not interested in Jessica Stanley. **_

_**"You would go otherwise?" She looks worried.**_

_**Oh, yeah. Little Vamp is handicapped with me. She can't get in my head. "I don't know. I don't have any other plans." I'm teasing the vampire.**_

_**"Are you working Saturday?" She cocks her head to the side and raises an eyebrow.**_

_**"No." Where is she going with this?**_

_**"Would you like to spend the day with me?" She smiles at me across the table.**_

_**Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! "I guess I could do that. What do you have planned?" I'm trying to be cool about it, but I've never done cool well. I'm sure the rapid beating of my heart is giving away my excitement.**_

_**"I have something that I want to show you."**_

_**"What?"**_

_**"Do we have plans for Saturday?"  
**_

_**"Yes."**_

_**"You'll see then." She's teasing me back.**_

_**I smile and shake my head. She's grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Is Mike still angry?" **_

_**Her expression turns dark. "Yes. You should watch yourself around him. He actually thought that I was interested in him, although for the life of me I don't know why. I never encouraged him. He thinks that you're infringing on his territory. I should snap his neck for that thought alone."**_

_**"Overreact much?" I'm fairly sure that killing the most popular moron in school would blow the human cover.**_

_**"You haven't had to listen to him for the last few months." Her mouth forms a grimace that would look hideous on most people. On Bella, it's the second cutest thing I've ever seen.**_

_**"Oh, I've had to listen to him alright. He's been obsessing about you constantly. He's been driving me insane at work." I'm surprised I haven't gouged out my ears. If I had to "hear" everything like Bella I'd give myself a lobotomy.**_

_**"Regardless, be careful. He has a bit of a violent streak. We should go. We're going to be late for class." **_

_**I take both trays and dispose of them. Bella is waiting for me at the door. Almost everyone else has left to get to their next class. Only Mike and his cronies are still in the cafeteria. When I get to the door Bella reaches up and wraps her hand around the top of my arm. I realize that I am in essence escorting her out the door. Her brow suddenly furrows and she mutters, "I wish he'd hush." She must be talking about Mike. I walk with her to the English building in remarkably comfortable silence. Before she enters the building she says, "I'll see you in biology." I walk to history on a cloud.**_

_**The hour in history flies by. I can barely contain my excitement as I leave the room and go toward the science building. That's probably why I don't see Mike standing at the door. "Masen, we need to talk." **_

_**"What could we possibly have to talk about, Mike?" I try to go around him into the building but his cronies are blocking the door. I roll my eyes and look down at him. "Fine, what do you want?"**_

_**"Stay away from her. She's mine. You understand?" He has his arms folded across his chest. It looks like he's trying to flex and he's standing up straighter than he usually does. **_

_**"Have you discussed this with her?" Bella was right. The boy is dense.**_

_**"She's coming around. Just butt out. Leave her alone." He takes a step toward me. I don't move.**_

_**"No. Face it Mike, she's just not that into you." I side step him and head to the door.**_

_**"Why would she pick an ugly, loser like you when she could have me?"**_

_**I turn and before I can stop my mouth it says, "Mike, I may be ugly and I may be a loser, but you are an immature, egotistical, imbecile that is lucky his father has enough money to buy him off the short bus." **_

_**And that's when he hits me.**_


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Nine**

I stumble backward from the uppercut Mike delivered to my jaw and fall into Eric Yorkie who promptly pushes me off him. My feet tangle and I land on my rear in the grass by the sidewalk outside the science building. Did he just hit me?! How asinine.

I'm still partially in shock when a female voice says, "Edward are you okay? Mike, you jerk, what's wrong with you?" It's Jessica Stanley. She's knelt down next to me and she's touching my face. We're drawing a crowd. That can't be good.

"Did you see that? He fell like girl. What is it, nerd, can't fight back?" Mike is laughing like a hyena. I would blush, but I'm too angry. I'm going to kill that little piss-ant.

I turn to look at Jessica. Why is she touching me? She has a strange expression on her face. As I start to pick myself up I notice that Mike isn't laughing anymore. I look up and see Emmett pick Mike up by the neck and put him against the building. "Give me a good reason not to end you right now, Newton," he growls.

Emmett doesn't need to do that. A teacher is going to show up soon and he'll get in a lot of trouble. "Emmett, put him down. He isn't worth it. I'm okay." My pride is hurting more than my jaw. "A teacher is going to show up soon and you don't want detention. Just leave. Go." Emmett puts Mike down and releases his neck. Mike starts to say something, but the look on Emmett's face stops him. Bella pushes through the crowd and gets to Emmett. She touches his arm.

"Emmett, go to class. Edward and I will handle this," she says. Emmett leaves just before Mr. Molina walks out of the building.

"What's going on here?" Eric and Tyler back away from Mike. They're going to throw him to the wolves. What great friends you have, Mike.

"Mike punched Edward," Jessica announces. She reaches up to touch my face again. I flinch away from her. I don't feel comfortable with her touching me but I don't want to hurt her feelings. So, I smile apologetically at her.

"He started it. He insulted me." So, he did understand. That's surprising.

"Edward, what happened?" I look over at Bella. She's glaring at Jessica. I clear my throat to get her attention before I answer. She looks at me, scowls, and then looks at the ground.

"I was coming to class when these three Neanderthals stopped me and blocked the door. Words were exchanged; I'm not going to lie to you. When I tried to go around them and into the building, the little one there sucker punched me." I hate Mike Newton!

"I know you're angry, Edward, but that's enough with the name calling. Mike is that what happened?"

"He insulted me." I didn't say anything that isn't true. Is it still an insult if it's the truth?

"How? What did he say?"

"He called me names and said that I ride the short bus." No, I said that he didn't ride the short bus. See, he is stupid. I spoke the truth.

"Edward, what did you say to Mike?"

"I called him immature, egotistical and an imbecile and said that his dad paid so he wouldn't have to ride the short bus." Mr. Molina puckers his lips and then sucks in a breath. He bites his upper lip. I think he's trying to not laugh.

He turns back to Mike. "So you hit him?"

"Well, yeah, he insulted me." He sounds like a broken record.

"You could have just walked away. Did anyone witness anything?" Mr. Molina looks around the gathered crowd.

"I was coming in the building when I saw Mike hit Edward. I didn't see Edward provoke Mike in any way." Thank you, Jessica. Bella still looks mad, but she's added a touch of gratitude to her glare.

"You, bit…." Watch it, Mike.

"Mr. Newton, you are in enough trouble do you want to compound it?"

"What?" Surely he knows that he should have used his words and not his fists. Who am I kidding? He doesn't think he did anything wrong.

"Mike, detention, after school, every day this week."

"I have to work at the store after school." Crap, he's right. That should be fun.

"Not this week. I'll be calling your parents shortly to explain the situation. Edward, do you need to see the nurse?"

I'm about to say no when Bella lightly touches my hand and says, "He should have that jaw looked at. It's starting to swell. I'll go with him." Now Jessica is the one doing the glaring.

"Thank you, Miss Cullen. Everyone else get to class. Mike, come with me. We have an appointment in the principal's office and I need to call your father. Miss Stanley, could you please start the roll call in my class for me. I'll return shortly." Mr. Molina and Mike head toward the main building while Bella and I go to the nurses office in the gym.

"Bella, I really don't need to see the nurse. Nothing is broken. I'll bruise, but that will be the extent of it." I reach up and touch my jaw; I flinch. Definitely going to bruise. Have I mentioned that I hate Mike Newton?

"I know that, but I don't want to go to class right now. Between Mike and Jessica I'm too angry to be in a room with that many humans. I need the fresh air. And you seem to have a calming effect. Humor me, please?"

We walk around the back of the gym to the football field and stand at the fence. I can't take my eyes off of her. She's wondrously beautiful. Why does she seem to want to be with me? I'm nothing.

"I'm going to have to stay away from Mike for several days," she suddenly says. Her hands have made dents in the rail of the chain-link fence.

"Why is that?" I touch her hand so she'll release the fence.

"If I see Mike Newton right now, I will kill him. He's crossed a line. If I don't murder him, then Emmett will. That won't be good for our family. So, I will need to have very, very little contact with Mike for several days."

"So, you'll be absent for a few days?" I don't know if I can handle not seeing her for several days. I don't like it. There has to be another way.

"I don't know. Maybe." She sighs and finally turns to look at me. "I don't want to not see you though. It's… uncomfortable; not seeing you."

"Yeah, tell me about it," I mutter.

She smiles. "What's your next class?"

"Ugh, PE. I hate PE." Plus, I don't want to see Ben anymore today.

"Can you look, I don't know, disoriented?"

"Why?" Where's she going with this?

"I thought that we would actually go to the nurse and get you a pass so we can skip next period and get out of here for a little while."

"How are you going to skip too? You aren't hurt; she won't give you a pass."

"We'll see."

We walk into the gym. The offices are at the far end and I try to look more hurt than I am. I will never win an academy award, that's for sure. I hope Bella has a plan. She turns to look at me before we go into Nurse Arrington's office. "Lose the smile and keep your head down. Rub your jaw a little before we go in to make it look more irritated." I do what she says and she looks me over again and sighs. "Don't say much. I'm going to have to really pull out all the stops with this one. You aren't going to be much help."

"Thanks. Now I'm self-conscious."

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

We walk into the office and I keep my head down as instructed. Bella does all the talking. "Um, Ms Arrington, Mike Newton hit Edward and his jaw looks bad to me. I was wondering if you could give us passes to leave so that I could take him to my father's office to have it x-rayed." Then, she smiles. People have a strange reaction to her smile. It's dazzling.

Ms. Arrington stutters a yes and goes to her desk for her pass book. She writes out the passes and hands them to Bella. She never really looks Bella in the eye. "I hope everything is alright, Edward." I nod and follow Bella out of the office.

"You are a horrible actor. Never, ever consider that as a career option." She's heading for the parking lot.

"I could have told you that. I don't lie well either. By the way, where are we going?" I have to jog to keep up with her.

"First, we're going to see Carlisle to get doctors' excuses for tomorrow and then I thought that you would like to meet Esme before I take you to work."

"Who's Esme?"

"Esme is Carlisle's wife and my mother for all intents and purposes."

"Okay." Meeting the mother is a good thing, right? "There may be no need to take me to Newton's this afternoon. I'm probably fired."

"Not necessarily. Give me a second. I need to text Alice that we've left so she and Emmett will know to ride with Rosalie." Just then her phone alerts and she laughs. "Well, never mind that. She already knows." She shows me the text from Alice saying that she and Emmett would ride home with Rosalie. The phone alerts again and she checks the message and smiles. "You still have your job."

"Is she ever wrong?" I kind of wish she'd warned me about the punch from Mike.

"Occasionally about people. She can only see the path that they're on when they're on it. If they change their mind, then the future will change. She also doesn't always see split second decisions, like that punch from Mike. She's extremely accurate with the weather." We pull into the hospital lot and go into the emergency room. Thank God that Renee is working at the nursing home in Port Angeles today. She would have a fit about this.

"Hello, Cynthia. Is my father busy?"

"He should be in his office, Bella. Go on back."

"Thank you." We go through a set of double doors and down a hallway to Carlisle's office. Bella knocks on the door and I hear a velvet voice tell her to come in. We enter the office and Bella says, "Hi, Carlisle, I believe you know Edward."

Carlisle stands and walks around his desk to us. "Ah, Edward, how is your head?" Then he sees my jaw and his face changes. "What happened, son?" His ice cold hand gently touches the side of my face, turning it so he can get a better look.

"It's nothing, sir. I'm fine." I know I'm blushing because Bella has stepped to the far side of the room. How can Carlisle be so close to me and not be uncomfortable?

"Mike Newton hit him this afternoon. I think he'll be fine. It isn't broken, but it's going to bruise. We actually came for excuses for school." He's still inspecting my face. "Thank you Carlisle. Yes, I know." She's answering questions he isn't asking… at least not out loud. "I thought I'd take him by the house to meet Esme and then he has to work. Sure, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right."

"That's rude, you know." They're acting like I'm not even in the room.

Carlisle looks up into my eyes then and says, "Pardon?"

"The conversation you two just had about me of which I was only allowed to hear the one side." I turn to Bella. "It's rude."

"I apologize, Edward. Bella and I are so used to communicating this way that we are sometimes insensitive to those around us. You're right, it's rude. We'll try to not do it again." He looks at Bella and smiles. He walks back to his desk and gets an excuse pad out of his desk. "I'm writing you one for work also, Edward, just in case my beautiful wife keeps you at the house too long this afternoon." He tears off the three excuses and hands two to me and one to Bella. I put mine in my bag.

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Carlisle. Let's try to see each other under less painful circumstances next time." He shakes my hand and we leave his office.

"I'm sorry about the mind reading in there. I shouldn't have done that. You're right it was rude. I don't realize I do it sometimes." She looks at the floor, sheepishly. We get in her car and get on the highway. I look at the time. I have to be at work at 4:00. It's 3:15 now.

"How far is your house?" Finally I get to see her home. It's only fair since she apparently hangs out at my house of occasion.

"Not far. Why?"

"I have 45 minutes before I have to be at the store." I hate late.

"Oh, do you want to skip the meeting with Esme?" She looks disappointed. Yet, another Bella I don't like to see and will endeavor to never see again.

"No, but I don't want to be late either."

"We'll be quick." She turns off the highway onto a tree lined road. As we drive I realize that it isn't a road, it's a driveway. We drive through trees for a while before we come to the most beautiful home I have ever seen. Its three stories and mostly glass. You can see into the living room from where Bella parks her car. It's filled with white furniture. I'm still staring out of the window when Bella appears at the side of the car. "Are you getting out or not?" She's smiling that crooked half smile at me. I probably look ridiculous.

I get out of the car. "Wow. Your house is amazing."

"What did you expect?" She laughs.

"I don't know. A castle, with turrets and a mote?" Where do vampires usually live?

"You've watched too many movies." She takes my hand and pulls me toward the front door. We enter the house and Bella takes me into the white filled living room. I'm afraid to touch anything. I might get it dirty. I see a large piano through a set of sliding doors at the far end of the room. I turn in time to see a beautiful woman walk into the room. She's taller than Bella, but not as tall as Rosalie. She has the most beautiful auburn hair that falls to just below her shoulders in loose waves. She has the same pale skin and golden eyes as all the rest of them. "Esme, I want you to meet Edward."

"Hello, Edward. Bella has spoken of you often. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She extends her hand for me to shake. It's ice cold like all the rest.

"Yes, ma'am. It's nice to meet you, too. You have a beautiful home." Every piece of furniture in this room is probably an antique.

"Please, call me Esme and thank you. I love to remodel and redecorate. I'm in my white phase now. Do you have time for a tour of the house?" She gestures to the staircase.

"Not, today, Esme. I have to get him to work by 4:00." She glances at the clock on the wall. We have fifteen minutes.

"Then Bella will have to bring you back to visit us again. Next time she can play for you. Has Bella told you that she is a talented musician?"

"Esme, please?" Bella looks at the floor and twirls a piece of hair around her finger. This must be vampire embarrassment.

"No, ma'am, I mean Esme, she hasn't mentioned it." I turn to look at Bella and I swear she would be blushing if it were possible. "I'd love to hear you play sometime."

"Okay, we need to go now. I promise I'll bring him back another time for that tour. Let's go." She takes my hand and drags me out of the house. I look back and wave to Esme. She's smiling and waving.

We get outside and I say, "Bella, that was rude too."

"You didn't have to listen to her." She opens the car door and looks over the top of car at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that my mother is extremely excited for me and is basically screaming it in her head. She's probably in there dancing a jig now." I turn back toward the house. "Don't look. It's embarrassing. Get in the car before you're late for work."

I laugh at her. It's funny to see her so uncomfortable. She's usually so confident and in control. This is a nice change. "You're cute when you're nervous and embarrassed." I reach across the console and squeeze her hand. She smiles and looks down at my hand, but she doesn't pull away. My heart gives me away as it races at the contact.

"That feels nice. Your hand is so warm. I like it." She looks back at the road. She still hasn't pulled her hand away. I still haven't moved my hand. I wonder how long I can make this last. All too soon we pull into the lot at Newton's. I see Mr. Newton inside. I'm dreading going in there and after the car ride with Bella I really don't want to leave her.

"I don't want to go in there. What's he thinking?" He's thinking that he's going to fire me.

"Oh, now I can use my gift." I give her a look. "Fine, he's concerned that you're going to sue them. Mrs. Newton is in the back. She's more concerned that you're hurt. They're both anxious for you to be here. They don't know you're in the car." She closes her eyes and leans her head back against the headrest. "They're mad at Mike for hitting you. He's going to be grounded for a week." She looks back at me. "You'll be fine. What time to your get off work tonight?"

"If they don't fire me when they find out what I said to Mike, I should be done at 7:00." I so don't want to get out of this car.

"They aren't going to fire you, but if you're really worried about it…. Give me your hand." She takes a pen from her purse and writes a telephone number on my palm. "Call me if they do fire you, otherwise Rosalie and I will be back at 7:00 to pick you up. Don't forget your doctors' excuse."

"Yes, Mom." I roll my eyes at her. I really don't want to get out of the car. "I'll see you at 7:00 then." I open the door and get out of the car. I take a deep breath and go into the store. This shift cannot be over fast enough. I turn back as Bella pulls out of the lot and onto the highway. I turn toward the store to see the Newton's staring at me. Well, here goes nothing.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Work went surprisingly well. Mrs. Newton hugged me and apologized for Mike's behavior. Mr. Newton assured me that Mike would be punished at home. I went ahead and "'fessed up" that I had insulted Mike's intelligence. Mr. Newton actually laughed and said that Mike proved my point when he hit me. At 6:50 the bell on the door rings announcing a customer. I look up to see Bella come in the door.

"Hey, I'll be done in about ten minutes," I say to her as I finish counting down the register.

Mr. Newton comes out from the back. "May I help you?"

"No, sir. I'm just waiting on Edward."

"Oh? Who's your friend, Edward?" He's giving me a strange look. I'll have to remember to get Bella to tell me what he's thinking.

"Mr. Newton, this is Bella. She's giving me a ride home tonight because my truck is on the fritz." He hasn't stopped staring at her yet. I don't blame him. The woman is breathtaking. I still can't figure out why she's paying so much attention to me.

"So you're Bella. I have heard a lot about you recently. It's good to finally put a face to the name. You can go ahead and go now, Edward. I can finish up here." He pats me on the back as I take off my vest and get my things. Bella has a Cheshire cat grin on her face. I definitely have to know what he's thinking.

"Thanks, Mr. Newton, I'll see you tomorrow." I walk to Bella's side. "I guess I'm ready." We walk out the door. When we get to the car I see Emmett and Rosalie in the back seat. Emmett waves wildly, Rosalie looks… well like Rosalie; beautiful, but ticked off. Bella still has that silly grin on her face as we get in her car. "Do you mind telling me what's so funny?"

"Mr. Newton." She giggles then. "He is extremely proud of your choice in 'girlfriends' and he understands now why his son got so upset. It's hilarious." She bites her bottom lip – adorable.

"Can we please stop laughing at the humans and get to this boy's house so I can go back home?" Rosalie still doesn't want to be here.

"Thank you, Rosalie, for looking at my truck. I can't afford to take it to Dowling's. I really appreciate this. I know you aren't comfortable with me, but I can assure you that you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone." I don't know why I want her to like me, but I do.

Emmett reaches over and squeezes her knee. "She knows that."

"No." Rosalie swats his hand away. "He has a right to know. The whole family will be implicated if this… this thing between you and Bella goes badly."

"What do you mean 'goes badly'?" She cocks her head to the right and raises her eyebrows. "Oh, you mean, if she kills me?"

"I'm not going to kill you." She says that a lot.

"You don't know that, Isabella. You could slip. It wouldn't take much with how he sings to you. Remember what happened to Emmett that time?"

"Rose, I don't want to talk about that. I messed up, okay? I regret it and I don't want to be reminded of it."

"I know that, Emmett, and I'm sorry that bringing it up causes you pain, but Bella needs the reminder."

"No, I don't. I suffered with Emmett, remember? Jasper and I both suffered. I remember it distinctly. I'm not going to do the same thing. I can control it."

"Can you?" I look at her beautiful face, contorted in anguish and I wonder if she can control herself.

She turns to me and looks at me with… I don't know; affection, maybe? She smiles and says, "Yes, I can. I will control it." She reaches across the console and takes my hand. "It's worth it."

"Aw, ain't that sweet. You guys are holding hands. I may cry with happiness."

Bella puts her hand back on the steering wheel. "Shut-up, Emmett. And you can keep those thoughts to yourself. You're a pig."

"Oink, oink." Then he reaches across the seat and musses Bella's hair. She scowls and pushes it back out of her face, but then she smiles. You can see the love she has for her 'brother'. I always wanted a brother. I always imagined that it would be like it seems to be with them. It's nice.

As we pull into the drive at my house I see Renee pull back the curtain in the kitchen and look out. "My mom is home. Um, do you want to meet her?" I'm not sure how Renee will behave and I'm a little nervous about it.

"I'd love to meet your mother, Edward. Do you want all of us to come in?"

"Do you think it's… safe?" They are vampires, after all.

Rosalie rolls her eyes and says, "Oh, for the love of God, yes it's safe. I've never tasted human blood and I don't intend to start with your mother. Come on, let's get this over with."

We get out of the car and walk toward my house. Before I can open the door, Renee jerks it open and steps out onto the porch. "Hi, Sweetie, what's going on?"

" Mom! Um, my truck wouldn't start this morning and Bella was nice enough to give me a ride to school and work. This is her brother Emmett and this is Rosalie Hale. Rosalie is going to see if she can fix the truck."

"Oh, you're Bella?" Renee smiles and then looks pointedly at me.

"Yes. ma'am. It's very nice to meet you. My dad speaks highly of you."

"Really?" Renee smiles and turns a light shade of pink. Then she giggles. God, what must she be thinking? I could crawl under the porch.

"Mom, can we come in now? I need to get my keys for Rosalie."

"Oh, sure, sure. Come in, please. Are you hungry? Can I get you guys anything to eat or drink?"

"Say no to the food, trust me on this one." Maybe this can count as a date and get me out of trying tonight's concoction.

"Edward! I'm not that bad," she says indignantly.

Emmett steps forward then and says, "No thank you, Ms. Masen, we've already eaten." When he smiles I can tell that he's just dazzled Renee. Can they all do that?

"Oh, okay. Please, call me Renee. Hmm. So you're Dr. Cullen's son?" Renee and Emmett retreat to the living room and sit on the couch.

Bella smiles, "He'll keep her distracted so Rosalie can work. Where are your keys?"

"Here you go, Rosalie. And again, thanks."

"Yeah, whatever." She motions for Bella to come outside with her. "Come with me. I may need a jack."


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Ten**

Rosalie spent an hour working on my truck. She finally determined that it was a problem with the fuel injection and would not be a quick and easy fix. She also thought that there might be other issues that just weren't as evident yet. She got it running, although it was temporary. She wanted to take it back to their house where she had all of her tools and equipment. We walked back in the house and explained the situation to Renee. She looked skeptical, but Emmett assured her that Rosalie is the family mechanic. Bella asked if it would be alright if I drove the truck to their house tonight. She told Renee that she would bring me straight back home; it was a school night after all. So, Emmett and I are in my truck and following the girls back to the Cullen house.

"Bro, this truck is slooooow," he laughs as he pushes my arm and at the same time makes me bump my head against the window. "Sorry, I forget you're human sometimes. I bet Bells is having a fit. She hates to drive at a snail's pace."

I rub the side of my head. Good thing I have a thick skull. "Yeah, I know. She flies. I've never been in a car traveling at that rate of speed. It's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. We made it back from Seattle in a little over an hour."

"She had a great time that night in Seattle with you. After the initial problem was resolved that is." He turns and smirks at me.

"Yeah, she saved my life… again. The scales are way out of balance. I'll never be able to repay her for… well, still being alive. I can't very well save her, can I?"

"Edward, you already have." His expression changes. I've never seen Emmett look so serious.

"What are you talking about?" I'm more than a little confused.

"I've known Bella for forty years and I could count on one hand the number of times I had seen her smile before she met you. She's been so miserable for most of her existence. Living with her has been difficult at times. Don't get me wrong, I love the girl, but she's been so sad. That week she was gone was hell for everyone. Esme hates for the family to be split. Bella and Alice are very close, so Alice was miserable. Jasper's gift was feeding on the misery making us all unhappy. We were a mess. When she came back, she was a mess. Staying away from you was killing her, but she was afraid to be close to you. She hunted a lot. She would stay out all night. We never knew where she was or when she was home and when she wasn't. Then Alice had that vision of Seattle. And, well, that was it. Bella told Rosalie to shove it and ran out of the door. Ever since that night, living with Bella Swan Cullen has been the most pleasant it's been in forty years; longer for Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie."

"Wow, I didn't realize that she was unhappy. I still don't understand how I saved her from anything though."

"Edward, bro, you saved her from herself. You saved her from her misery and her self-loathing. You have given her hope that maybe she deserves happiness. You're the best thing that's ever happened to her… and to the rest of us. Now, we don't have to deal with her bad mood all the time."

"Oh, you're welcome?" I feel like he just thanked me for something.

He laughs and messes up my hair. "Alice is right; we're gonna to great friends." I see Bella make the turn into their driveway and I follow her. She drives around to the back of the house this time and to a very large garage. She stops the Volvo and Rosalie jumps out.

"Don't shut off the ignition! I don't know if I can start it again tonight. Let me move Emmett's Jeep and you can pull it into the garage." She disappears and the Jeep emerges a second later.

"Sorry, Emmett, I seem to be stealing your spot. Then again, you guys stole my spot at school on the first day and haven't given it back. At least this situation is just temporary."

"What are you talking about? We didn't think the spaces were assigned." It's his turn to be confused.

"Don't worry about it. If Bella likes parking in that spot and it makes her happy in the slightest then it's her spot." I'd move a mountain to make Bella happy.

"Spoken like a man with a vast and varied romantic history." Boy, would he be disappointed to know the truth.

"Nope. Just an overly dependent mother." I have less than zero experience in the romance department.

I pull my poor truck into the garage. I wait for Rosalie to come in and signal for me to turn it off. "I told you to not turn it off out there. You didn't have to let it idle in here, jeez." I get out of the truck and watch her grab Emmett's hand and drag him toward the house.

"See you tomorrow, Edward," he calls over his shoulder.

I walk out and get in the car with Bella. I look over at her and smile. "What?" she asks. The right side of her mouth turns up. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason. I like your brother. He's… interesting." And informative.

We pull back out onto the highway and Bella asks, "What did you two talk about?"

"You don't know?" I like teasing her. She usually smiles my favorite smile when I do. She doesn't disappoint this time.

"No, I do try to give everyone as much privacy as I possibly can. So, are you going to tell me?"

"No. You can ask Emmett if you like, but I doubt he'll tell you either. It's a guy thing, you wouldn't understand."

She laughs hysterically at this. I would have to pull over if I was laughing this hard while driving. She doesn't even swerve. "I don't think I want to know, now." We're turning into my driveway.

"How fast were you going?" We just drove across town in ten minutes. It should have taken three times that long.

"I don't know. We were in town. Probably around 65 or 70. Why?"

"You may not get hurt if you wrap the car around a tree, but I, on the other hand, am not invulnerable. Plus, you could hit a pedestrian. Slow it down, please."

"Edward, I am not going to have a car accident, especially not with you in the car with me. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Humor me, please?"

"Are you going to turn everything I say around and use it on me to get what you want?"

"Does it work?"

"No."

"You're lying; so yes, I will use every weapon I have in my arsenal."

"You're unbelievable," she says as she laughs and looks down at her lap. "Would you like a ride in the morning?"

"You don't have to come all the way out here. I can get Ben to stop by and get me. It's on his way."

"You don't want to ride with me?"

"I thought you were going to take a few days off so that you wouldn't kill Mike."

"My desire to see you has won out over my desire to snap his perverted neck. I would really like it if you would let me pick up for school tomorrow. I don't mind driving out here."

"I have to work tomorrow too."

"I can take you to work."

"Bella, you don't have to."

"I want to."

And I really wanted to ride with her. "Okay. Same time?"

"Same bat channel."

"What?"

"Oh, God, I'm old. Get out before you give me a complex. I'll see you in the morning. Go in and answer your mother's questions. She has a lot of them."

I open the door and then turn back to her. "Bella," I say, "I …. Have sweet dreams." I get out and walk up to the porch. I know, I know; I dorked out. I don't know what I wanted to say, but I didn't say it. She just has this effect on me. I lose the ability to have intelligent thought. I didn't want to leave her and I didn't want her to leave. It's going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I had to take cold medicine to get to sleep last night. I was too tightly wound after the ride to the Cullen's with Emmett and the ride back with Bella. I was also extremely excited about the ride to school this morning. Renee hadn't helped the situation with the twenty questions game she started when I got in the house. When I did drift off into my drug induced slumber, I had vivid and, quite frankly, excellent dreams of Bella. I even dreamed that I woke up and she was in my room. She pushed my hair back off of my forehead and kissed me on the cheek. Then she told me to go back to sleep. I swear it was the best night's sleep I have ever had.

I am awake, dressed and waiting for Bella well before 7:00. I am checking my impossible hair for the fourth time when I hear the knock at the door. I look at my watch: 7:15. She's right on time. I love it! I grab my bag and open the door. She's there looking exquisite in a blue sweater and black jeans. Her hair is pulled back from her face in a clasp. Dear, Lord, she's beautiful. I suddenly feel very inadequate. I run my hand through my unruly hair again and smile sheepishly. "Good morning."

"Hi," she says. Then she reaches up and pushes a piece of my hair off my forehead. It's so much like my dream last night that I feel my face get hot at the memory. "What? Why is your heart in overdrive? What are you thinking?"

I CANNOT tell her about my dreams. "Nothing." I laugh nervously. "Let's just go." I close and lock the door behind me. I get to the car and notice that there's no one else with her. "Where's everyone else?"

"You're stuck with just me this morning. Disappointed?"

"Definitely not." I wouldn't be disappointed if we were the last people left on earth.

"Good," she smiles at me as she turns into the school parking lot. She drives toward her usual spot and then parks in the space next to it. She talked to Emmett! We get out to the stares of our fellow students. She either doesn't notice or doesn't care, I can't tell which. I see Rosalie's BMW parked a couple of spaces away, but it's empty of Cullens or Hales. We start to walk toward the buildings. The math building is on the way to the English building so I start walking that way with Bella. "So, Mr. Masen, would you like to carry my books too?"

"If you had books with you, my dear, I would be more than happy to carry them for you." I can tease too, you little vamp. "Do you not want me walking you to class?"

"I don't mind, but you know that it will make people talk."

I reach out and take her hand. She doesn't pull away. "Let'em talk." I walk her to the door of her calculus class and then go to the English building. Everyone is staring and I'm not blushing. I've never been so happy in my life.

Rosalie is already in the room. We make eye-contact and she actually smiles at me. Then she points to her ear. Emmett got her the earrings. They are huge! She's happy and Happy Rosalie is better than the ticked off Rosalie from last night. I give her a thumbs up and take my seat. Before I know it the bell rings and I get my things together to leave class. When I get to the hallway Ben is waiting. "You still mad?"

"No, I guess not. Angela told me I was being a jerk. I heard about what happened yesterday with you and Mike. You okay?" He looks at the bruise on my face.

"Yeah, it's just a bruise. It hurt my ego more than anything. It also turned Bella completely off of Mike." That was worth it all.

"Was she ever turned on by him?" I give him a look that I hope says to watch it. "Sorry, Man, that came out wrong. I mean, did you ever really think that she liked him?"

"He thought she did."

"Did she?"

"No." I smile at Ben. I am over the moon happy. "She likes me."

"What?!" Ben's mouth is gaping open. "So are you two an item now?"

"I don't know. I mean, we haven't declared or anything. But, man, I really like her. She's so intelligent and funny. She challenges me. She gets my warped sense of humor. It's the first time any girl has ever interested me. Not to mention that she's a goddess. I'm still trying to figure out what she sees in me."

"Edward, look in a mirror. You are a very good –looking guy. I can say it, because I am secure in my manhood and you are my best bud. I don't know what happened in the last year, but you have really come into your own. It must be the haircut. I see how Jessica and Lauren and their crowd look at you now. You have to stop feeling so, I don't know, unattractive. You aren't anymore. Truthfully, you never were. You just insisted on that funny haircut."

"What was so wrong with my haircut?" You try to do something with this mess.

"Dude, you had it all one length down to your chin. It was always in your face. It wasn't flattering."

"And you let me keep it that way for years. Some friend you are." I elbow him in the arm.

"I didn't want Angela to pick you over me. Now, you have that messy, bed-head thing going. It's a much better look." He shoves me back.

I'm blushing again. "Shut-up. You sound like a girl."

"Just stating facts, man." We get to trig and take our seats. Alice and Jasper aren't here, yet. As class starts I notice that they don't come in. I'll have to ask Bella about that at lunch. Class ends and I walk to economics. Standing outside the building is Eric Yorkie. He looks at me and waves. I turn around to check that he is waving at me. He is. I wonder what he wants.

"Hey, Edward. I want to apologize about yesterday. I had no idea that Mike was going to hit you. And I didn't mean to push you to the ground. I didn't expect you to fall against me and it kind of scared me, I guess. I'm really sorry. If it means anything, I think Mike is being a huge jerk about the whole thing. We tried to tell him that she isn't interested, but… well you know him. I hope we're good though."

I think that this is the first time Eric has spoken to me since fifth grade. "Sure, Eric, it's fine. I didn't think you were trying to hurt me or anything. I figured you just had an instinctual reaction. We're good." I reach out and slap him on the shoulder.

"Good. And by the way, props to you, dude. Bella's hot." He waves and walks toward his next class. I smile to myself and go to class.

I barely make it to economics before the tardy bell. After class Angela and I walk to the door. Emmett and Rosalie meet us there. "Hey, bro. Hi, I'm Emmett and this is Rosalie," Emmett says to Angela.

"I am so sorry. Gran would beat me for forgetting my manners. Emmett, Rosalie this is Angela. Angela; Emmett and Rosalie." Rosalie actually smiles and waves at Angela, although she is standing slightly behind Emmett and kind of keeping her distance.

Emmett smacks me on the back and nearly knocks me to the floor. He is going to have to start remembering that I'm human soon or he's going to accidentally kill me. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What's the cliché: Any friend of Edward's is a friend of mine." Rosalie looks at me a shrugs.

"Same for me, Emmett. I love your earrings, Rosalie."

Rosalie smiles and touches her ear. "Thank you. They were a gift." Then she looks at Emmett and takes his arm. Emmett beams with pride. He turns to look at me and winks. I wonder what else he got for buying those things.

We get to the cafeteria. Ben has caught up and introductions have been made when I see Bella. She's a vision. My heart immediately skips a beat. She has a bag in her hand. "Hey," I say as I get to the door.

"Hey. I brought something today, so I'll meet you at the table, okay?"

"Oh, okay." I turn to look at Ben and Angela and give them a shrug. We get in the door and in line. "I feel like I'm abandoning you guys."

"Edward, seriously, don't worry about it," Angela says. "Go have lunch with your girlfriend. When the new wears off maybe we can all start eating together." I laugh internally at this statement. If she only knew.

"I wouldn't call her my girlfriend. We're friends, that's it." I want to call her my girlfriend, but I don't think she's there yet.

"Dude, we heard about the holding of the hand this morning. She's your girlfriend." Ben gives me the 'Open your eyes, Stupid' look.

"You heard about that?" Word travels fast!

"Edward, the whole school has heard about it. Look behind you." Angela points to Mike. "You can almost see the steam coming out of Mike's ears."

I turn and see Mike staring at me. I look over at Bella. She's peeling an orange and mumbling to herself. "I'm not that hungry. I'll just grab a Coke." I have to get over there to her before she throttles him. I get a Coke from the cooler and pay for it quickly, and then I rush to the table. "Hey, you alright?"

"I am now," She says as she smiles at me. I sit down across from her. She shakes her head and pats the seat next to her. I get up and move. "That's better. Now I can look at you and not see Mike."

"Can you tune him out?" She doesn't need to do anything rash. He's keeping his distance; so should she.

"I'm going to try. He's angry." She's biting her lower lip and shredding the orange peeling.

"Listen to someone else." Surely there's a mind in the room that has more pleasant thoughts.

"It won't help. Everyone is thinking the same thing. I told you people would talk." Crap, everyone is thinking about us.

"Do you mind?" This has to be pure torture for her.

"Not really," she says and smiles.

"I'm not exactly the most socially acceptable boyfriend to have, you know."

She tilts her head to the side and raises her eyebrows. "So you're my boyfriend, now?"

"Well… um… I … you know… uh… I guess not." I'm such an idiot!

"You look adorable when you stutter like that. And your heart starts skipping when you get nervous. It's cute. I kind of like being a girlfriend. Would you mind being my boyfriend?"

"No." That came out quick. "I mean, I guess I could do that." I try to give her my best "cool" expression. I can't hold it long. I can feel the goofy smile creeping in. "So are we official now?"

"Yes. You think Mike will get the hint?" She glances at him briefly and shakes her head.

"Mike doesn't do hints. He isn't that bright." I don't think Mike would get it if we put it on the billboard next to his dad's store.

"Well, we'll just have to be very convincing then." She takes my hand and smiles that crooked little smile. My heart melts and I sigh. I know I have that goofy expression on my face again. "That blush is going to be the death of me."

"I'm sorry. I can't control it. Believe me, I've tried." I look into her eyes and see that they look almost normal. If you can call golden irises normal. "Bella, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything." She leans in toward me.

"Why were your eyes so black before?" I've wanted to ask that for months.

She smiles sheepishly and looks at our entwined hands. She runs the finger of her other hand down the back of my hand, sending chills down my whole body. "Um, that's embarrassing to have to explain."

"Don't worry about it then. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No it's fine. When we experience extreme bloodlust our eyes will turn completely black. That's what happened that first day in biology. If you notice, when any of us go for long periods of time without hunting it happens. As I decided to get closer to you and got it under control, my eyes became more normal around you. That's how I know that I can control it. As long as my eyes behave, I can behave."

"Oh. So if we're together and your eyes go all black on me again I should run?"

"No, don't run. Just be very still and let me get it back under control. Edward, don't worry. I can do this. I want to do this. I care about you and I want to be with you. It's going to be fine."

She wants to be with me! I can't remember how to breathe. "Okay. By the way, where's Alice and Jasper?" I have to change the subject before my heart explodes from my chest.

"Jasper needed a mental health day today. They've gone on a long hunt. They should be back in a couple of days."

"Is it very bad for him?" He always looks like he's in pain.

"He's adjusting. He wants to do this so badly for Alice, but it's hard. I hear his internal struggle. He really loves her to be putting himself through this. I respect him for it."

"What about you and your internal struggle?"

"We should get to class. Walk with me." She stuffs the peeled but uneaten orange into the bag. I put my unopened Coke can in my bag. "You should have eaten something. You'll be hungry this afternoon. We'll stop and get you something on the way to Newton's."

"I'm not that hungry right now, but you're right; I will be by this afternoon." I take the bag and throw it in the trash. When I get back to Bella she again wraps her hand around my upper arm and we walk to her next class. I can feel the eyes boring holes into us as we walk across campus.

When we get to the English building she pulls on my arm so I lean down toward her. She kisses me lightly on the cheek and says, "I'll see you in biology." I touch my cheek and nod. She giggles and walks into the building. I float to the history building. Mike could hit me again today and I'd never feel it.


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Eleven**

Why is it that when you're looking forward to something time just drags? The hour I spent in history was the longest of my life. It felt like I was in there for two days. I want to run to biology, but I want to make it in one piece. I'm chanting get to see Bella, get to see Bella as I rush to the science building. Mike isn't outside when I get to the door so I make it in record time. As I enter the room I hear Bella.

"Let me make myself abundantly clear, Mike. I am not now nor have I ever been interested in you in the slightest. I am interested in Edward and that is who I am choosing to be with. You can accept it and move on or I'm sure that I can think of a way to convince you to back off. Either way, you are going to leave me and my family alone. And if you lay one hand on Edward or say anything insulting to him again I will let Emmett finish what he started yesterday. Do you comprehend?" She's giving him a look that is kind of scary for me and I'm not afraid of her. From the look in her eyes, Mike should be very afraid right now.

"But Bella…," Mike tries to say something. She isn't having it.

"The only words I want to hear come out of your mouth are yes or no. Just answer the question and get away from me. Do you understand?" She leans into him and he takes a step back.

"Y- y-yes."

"Good, now shoo, little boy. Go away." She dismisses him with a wave of her hand and turns back to the front of the classroom.

I come up behind Bella and put my hand on her shoulder. "Hello, love. Do you need something, Mike?" I know. I'm rotten, I can't help myself. Her little speech empowered me.

"Mike doesn't need anything from either of us. He's leaving." She turns back to him. "Go to your seat, Mike, and stay there."

Mike trudges to his seat. Bella turns to me and smiles. "I heard everything and it was priceless. Would you really let Emmett kill him?"

"Probably not," she says as she scoots her chair a little closer to mine. "But Mike doesn't know that."

"Would Emmett really hurt him if you wanted him to? He seems like such a teddy bear." I really can't imagine Emmett hurting anything. I wonder what he looks like when he hunts.

"He'd more likely do it if you asked. He really likes you. He thinks you're a hoot. He forgets you're 'fragile' sometimes and that scares him. He's afraid he'll accidentally hurt you. If it weren't for your 'present condition', he would have you move in with us. You won't believe the debauchery he thinks about getting into with you."

"You act like I have a communicable disease or something." I set my things down on the table and take my seat next to my girlfriend. My girlfriend!

"You know what I mean." Mr. Molina comes in then with a television and VCR. Movie day! "Huh, he's showing a movie so that he won't have to stumble over the subject matter. Genetic diseases are not his forte."

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Molina is showing us a film about Adrenoleukodystrophy. It's a rare, inherited disorder. He doesn't know that subject matter that well so, he's taking a shortcut."

"What's the movie?"

"Lorenzo's Oil. It's a good movie actually. Most of the girls in here will probably cry. It's one of those." She rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. I've seen it. Renee cried like a baby." Mr. Molina turns the lights off then and starts the VCR. Bella leans forward and places her arms on the desk top and entwines her fingers. I lean in too and rest my head in my right hand. From this angle I can discreetly stare at her profile. That's when I notice the sensation. It's like all of the hairs on my left arm are standing on end and pulling toward Bella. It isn't an unpleasant sensation, but it is interesting. I turn and look at her. She's looking down at her right arm like she's confused. She looks up at me. I shrug at her and then copy her position on the table. Now my left arm and her right arm are less than an inch apart. She gasps and quickly moves both of her arms under the table. I notice her rubbing her right arm with her left hand. I lean over and whisper to her, "Are you alright?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"I'm not sure. What was that?"

"Mr. Masen, do you and Miss Cullen have something to add to the movie?"

"No sir, I'm sorry." Lord, that's embarrassing. I can hear a few people snicker.

"Pay attention, Edward. You will see this information again." Mr. Molina tries to give me a stern look, but then he smiles and winks at me. Not him too. Is everyone talking about Bella and me? I am now four shades of red and Bella is trying to not laugh. She still hasn't moved her arms out from under the table. I turn and try to glare at her but she mouths 'sorry' to me and I can't help but smile.

When the bell rings Mr. Molina announces that we'll finish the movie tomorrow and turns on the lights. I get my bag and follow Bella out the door. I lightly place my hand on her lower back as we exit. I get a slight electric shock when I touch her. "That! Did you feel that?"

"Edward, I feel that every time we touch. Don't you?" She acts like it's nothing!

I thought about it a minute. "Actually I do. What is it?" I've never felt anything like it. It's not like a static electricity shock. It's different. I can't explain it.

"I don't know, but it isn't unpleasant. The thing back there with my arm hairs was interesting." She rubs her arm again.

"I know." We get to the midway point between the gym and her Spanish class. "Um, do you just want me to meet you at your car?"

"I'll find you, Edward. I always do." She then takes my hand and lightly squeezes it before she turns to go to her class. I'm watching her walk away when Ben sneaks up behind me.

"Hey!" I jump a foot in the air and turn to glare at him. "You're going to be late, Romeo."

"I hate you."

"It's a fine line between love and hate, my friend; a fine line" He punches me in the arm with his bony fist.

"What is it with people hitting me lately? I'm going to be a walking bruise if you people don't stop." I rub my arm. "Get away from me, you sadist."

"What did you just call me?" He looks insulted, but confused. Like he knows that he should be, but doesn't know why.

"I called you a sadist; someone who likes to inflict pain and cruelty on others."

"Did your mother make you do the Word Power part of the Reader's Digest every month?"

"She doesn't make me." I don't think Renee has ever actually opened my Reader's Digests. "Why?"

"Never mind. You're impossible. Let's just go change." He grabs my arm and drags me into the gym.

We enter the gym after changing into our uniforms and I am approached by Tyler Crowley. "How's the chin, man?"

"It's fine; just a bruise." I can't recall Tyler ever talking to me before. I wonder what he wants.

"I didn't know that Mike was gonna do that. I don't agree with that. There's never any reason to put your hands on another person. I told Mike that he was totally in the wrong."

"I appreciate that, Tyler, but you didn't have to do that. I'm fine, really. It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Well, just the same. He and I are through. I don't have any use for that kind of stuff. I don't need friends like that. People like Mike aren't real friends anyway. If he pulls any of that with you again, I got your back, okay?"

"Thank you, Tyler, but I can handle Mike Newton. It really looked a lot worse than it was." Did he just end his friendship with Mike over that one punch?

"Just the same, I got your back. And congratulations on Bella. I mean, wow, man. She's a stone cold fox." He shakes my hand and jogs to the other side of the gym.

"What was that all about?" Ben motions to a retreating Tyler.

"I think Tyler Crowley wants to be my new best friend." I'm as confused as Ben.

"That title is already taken."

"I know. I would never deny Angela the honor." I dodge Ben's punch. He gives me a dirty look and we walk to the boy's side of the gym.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Angela, Ben, and I exit the gym to a waiting Bella. "Hi, Bella," Angela says. She talks to her like they've known each other for years. That's one of the best things about Angela. She's a true friend.

"Hi, Angela. How was PE?"

"Your man here didn't injure himself or anyone else. That's always a good thing." Angela pats me on the back and then pushes me toward Bella. Why does she keep doing that?!

"Well, thanks for taking care of him." Bella smiles her crooked smile and me and then bites her bottom lip. She's trying to not laugh. What is she seeing in Angela's mind?

"I am standing here, you know." The three of them begin laughing hysterically. "I'm glad I'm a constant source of amusement for all of you." I start toward the parking lot.

"Edward," Bella calls to me as she catches up and takes my hand, "don't be so crabby."

"Yeah, man, we're laughing with you; not at you," Ben says as he gasps for air.

"Ha. Ha. You're so funny. It is to laugh." This causes more hysterical laughter. "I hate you people."

"No you don't. You love us." Angela looks pointedly at me and then at Bella.

"I have to go to work and I'm starving. Take me to McDonald's or lose me forever," I say to Bella.

Bella shakes her head and says, "You watch too many movies." We wave to Ben and Angela as we get into Bella's car. "I like Angela. She has one of the kindest, purest minds I have ever heard. She's is a truly good person. You're lucky to have her as a friend."

"I know. Ben's a good person, too. He just likes to pick on me. If he didn't harass me, I'd think he didn't like me. It's how he shows affection."

"He loves you. They both do. They're overjoyed about me, by the way. They're a little bit leery of me and my family in general, but they're willing to let their apprehension slide if I make you happy."

We go through the drive-thru at McDonald's and I get the number two combo. I eat in the car as Bella drives me to Newton's. I'm glad that Mike still has detention. I don't want to deal with him anymore today. He's draining. Bella parks in the lot at the store and squeezes my hand. "I'll be back at 7:00."

"What do you do for the three hours I'm here?"

"I hunt."

"Oh." That's not what I expected to hear. "For anything in particular?"

"Usually deer and elk. I don't go too far."

"What do you prefer?"

"Mountain lion."

"Not many of those around here?"

"Not enough to not leave an impact on the environment. You're going to be late."

"See you at 7:00." I want so badly to kiss her, but I don't know if that would cross a line. So I take her hand and brush my lips across her knuckles. She takes in a breath. "Bye," I say as I exit the car and walk to the building. I look back and Bella is looking at her hand and smiling. Exactly the intended effect; make Bella happy.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At promptly 6:50 Bella walks into the store. I look up and smile. "A person could set a watch by you."

"Bella," Mr. Newton says as he comes out of the back. "Truck still broken down, Edward?"

"Yes, sir, but I have someone looking at it."

"Not Mr. Dowling, I hope. You know he changes a fortune."

"Yes, I've heard. Actually a friend is looking at it."

"You have a mechanic friend? Is he any good?"

"She's supposed to be the best." I look at Bella and smile.

"It's my foster-sister, Rosalie, sir. She likes cars and knows a great deal about them. She does all of the work and maintenance on the family's vehicles. She enjoys it."

"Oh, well, whatever makes a person happy I suppose. You can go, Edward, I'll finish up here. I'll see you tomorrow."

We get outside and I can't help myself. "Well, what was he thinking? I know you were listening."

"It was about the same as yesterday. But now he's wondering about Rosalie. He thinks she's a lesbian. Won't he be surprised when he sees her?"

"No one would ever mistake Rosalie for a lesbian."

"So you think Rosalie is pretty?"

"Yes," I answer, and then I lean over the console and take her hand. "But she has nothing on your beauty. Rosalie pales in comparison." Smooth, right?

She bites her lower lip and smiles. "Most people don't see it that way. I think you're biased."

"And I think you don't see yourself clearly."

"Neither do you." She smiles slyly at me.

I lean back into my seat then and say, "I own a mirror. I see myself just fine. I am under no misconception about how I look." I'm ordinary and not attractive; I don't care what Ben says. He's a nut.

"What do you think you look like?"

How do you answer that question? "What do you mean? Do you want me to describe myself to you? Bella, you've seen me. I'm just an ordinary seventeen year old guy. I'm nothing special."

"Humor me, please."

"It doesn't work for you either."

"Do it anyway."

"Fine, I'm way too tall and skinny. If I were about five inches shorter, then I would look more proportioned. I'm all arms and legs."

"Do you want to hear what other people think about that?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"You're tall with broad, well defined shoulders. You're arms have the definition of someone who lifts weights occasionally, but with the intent to tone and not bulk. The muscles of your legs can be seen through your jeans and also look as though you workout for tone. Jessica is beside herself wanting to get your shirt off to see your chest and abdominals. Shall I continue?"

"Only if you want to stop the car and let me out so I can get the blush under control. Who thinks that?" I can feel the heat radiating up from my chest.

"Jessica, Lauren, Sondra, Kristen, Angela… me. Seriously, Edward, I am going to have to stop the car and get out if you don't quit. You're killing me." The blush has rounded my ears and is headed for my cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Should I roll the window down?" I go ahead and do it before she answers. "You know, redheads are not traditionally considered all that attractive; with the pasty skin and all."

"Your hair isn't red; it's more of a bronze and you have that sexy, bed-head thing happening that's all the rage now. I finally got a good picture out of Ben's head of the before hair style. I agree that this," she waves a hand at my head, "is much improved."

"It's not sexy, it's messy," I mutter. "I can't get it to behave. It's everywhere. I hate it."

"And you aren't pasty; you're perfectly pale. You're skin has a nice ivory tone to it and it makes your eyes look like perfect emeralds. They're such a beautiful and clear green. I could spend hours looking into them, trying to decipher your mind." She's staring out the windshield with a strange expression on her face.

I don't know what to say. I'm embarrassed, but also excited that she thinks I'm handsome. I don't care what Jessica or Lauren think, but I really want Bella to like the way I look. I will never be as attractive as her and her family, but if she's satisfied I won't feel so insignificant anymore. "I'm glad you're not dissatisfied."

She smiles a crooked half smile; I love that smile. "I think you're a beautiful man. You have the jaw line and cheekbones of a leading man from the 1940s. That was when actors were required to be truly beautiful. You're stunning, like a da Vinci portrait."

Okay… wasn't expecting that. I really am speechless. I look out of the open window and try to get my emotions under control. I don't think I've ever been compared to a portrait before. I know that I'm purple, I'm blushing so hard and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, so I know she can hear it. She may have to pull over and let me out for some air. I'm relieved to see that we're pulling into my driveway.

"Edward, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to say."

"Say what you're thinking."

"I don't know what I'm thinking. No one has ever described me that way before. I'm trying to process it. I just don't see it; you're all crazy."

"You don't have to see it. Anyway, I'm not attracted to you because of the way you look. Edward, do you remember when Rosalie said that you sing to me?"

"Yes, what did she mean?"

"Your blood, Edward, it sings to me. It calls me. I can't resist you. When this happens in most cases, the human is drained almost immediately. That's how it happened to Emmett. But, it's different for me. Emmett already had a mate in Rosalie so his singer wasn't as significant to him as you are to me. She was just a very irresistible human. You're so much more. That electric shock when we touch means something. I don't want to scare you Edward, but you may be my mate. I already feel that I can't live without you. Not seeing you is excruciating. I don't know how it feels to you, but I can hardly stand not seeing you every day." She pauses and looks at me. She looks down at her hands and starts playing with her fingernails. "I've said too much; you're uncomfortable."

"No, you're fine. I agree; I don't like it either. I want you to never leave. I can't stand to get out of this car." I reach over and take her hands in mine. "Bella, I… I… I need you. I don't know why, but I do. Yes, I'm scared, but it's a good scared. Please don't think that you've said anything that I'm not also feeling. It's so good to hear that I'm not alone in this. I was more afraid that you didn't feel this way. I've never been this happy."

Bella looks toward the house. "Your mother is watching us."

"I don't care."

"She's… excited."

"I don't care. I only care about you. I don't care what Renee is thinking. I only care what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that you should get inside. We can finish this later."

"No, I don't want to leave you. Come inside. We'll tell her we have homework to do."

"You do have homework."

"I'm not going to be able to concentrate enough to do it now. It doesn't matter anyway."

"Edward, I need to go hunt."

"You did that this afternoon."

"I need to go again. This car ride has been intense. Please, go inside. I promise that we'll continue this later." She reaches up and cups my cheek with her left hand. She runs her thumb down my cheekbone and I close my eyes as I lean into her hand. "I promise that I'll be back. I won't leave you. But right now you must go inside. I need to go."

"I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course," she says.

"Okay." I kiss her right hand and place it gently on the console. I open the door and step out.

"Edward?" I stick my head back in the door. "I'll be back." I nod and go to my house. God, how I miss her already.

I get inside and Renee immediately grabs me by the wrists and starts dancing around the living room with me. I bang my knee on the coffee table and swear a little. "Mom, for God's sake, stop it. You're going to cripple me. Let go!"

"You kissed her, didn't you? I saw it. You did!"

"No I did not. We aren't there yet. What's for dinner?"

"You never want what I cook. What's gotten into you?"

"I'm hungry." And I don't want to talk to my mother about what just happened. "What did you cook?"

"Hamburger Helper," well, you can't really screw that up. "With a Renee twist."

I groan, but go to the kitchen. It really isn't that bad. She put more elbow macaroni in it than came in the box. She added some ketchup and Italian spices. It didn't really improve it, but it didn't detract from it either. She also left me alone about Bella while I ate. She started the twenty questions game as we cleaned up. I answered what I was comfortable with and said 'no comment' to the things that I'm not comfortable telling her. Then I excuse myself to do my homework. I hear Renee shower and go to bed not long after. Around 10:00 I shower and get ready for bed myself. I have just snuggled into the covers when I hear something at my window. I get up and look out. What I see makes me open the window.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

"Hi, can I come in?"


	13. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Twelve**

"What are you doing here?" I say as I reach for her hand to help her in the window. That's when I realize that she has just scaled the side of my house and is standing on the window ledge. She probably doesn't need me to help her into the house.

She steps through the window and turns to look at me. "I told you that I would be back." She then walks over to my desk and sits in the chair. She crosses her legs and smiles my smile.

"I know, but I thought you meant in the morning. I wasn't expecting to see you at my window." She had to have climbed up the side of the house. I look out and, sure enough, no ladder. How did she do that?

"Do you want me to leave?" She stands and walks toward the window.

I shut it quickly. "No! I mean, no I don't want you to go. Please stay." She sits back down at my desk. "Why are you here?"

"I come here every night, Edward," she says nonchalantly, as if it's the most normal thing in the world to do.

"I know you come to my house to check on me, but why are you here in my room this time?" This is the first time I have ever had a girl in my room. I look around quickly and am relieved to find that there's no dirty underwear lying around anywhere. I look down and am equally relieved that I have on half-way decent pajama pants and a t-shirt with no holes.

"I come to your room every time." She looks down at her hands. "You don't lock our window." She smiles that crooked smile at me and shrugs.

She's been in here before! "You've been in here before? Why?" God, I hope I don't do anything embarrassing while I sleep.

"I don't know. I told you it's painful to be away from you. I'm sorry, now I feel like a sleazy Peeping Tom or a stalker. I shouldn't have been doing it, but I couldn't help myself. Are you mad?" She furrows her brow and looks at me nervously.

"No, not really. Do you sleep in the chair or something?" I can't believe that I've never known she was here.

"I don't sleep, Edward," she says, bluntly.

"Not ever?"

"No, never."

"Oh. What do you do then? Do you just watch me sleep?" I really hope I don't do anything embarrassing while I sleep.

"Basically. I am a sleazy stalker. I'm going to go. I'll just stay outside from now on." She gets up to leave so I put both of my hands on her shoulders. The electric shock courses through my arms and she gasps. I move my hands down her arms. She reaches up and puts her hands on my elbows. "Edward…."

"Bella…." My heart is racing and I can hardly breathe. We've never been this close or this alone before. Her lips are parted and I want so badly to kiss her. It's taking all the self-control I have to not wrap my arms around her and bring her lips to mine.

"Edward, sit down. I want to try something." She gently guides me to the bed and I sit on the edge. She pushes me so I scoot back and lean against the headboard. She takes a breath and rubs her hands across her eyes. Then she glances in my dresser mirror and licks her lips. She turns back to me and says, "Be very still." She kneels in front of me on the bed and leans over me. Her face is less than an inch from mine. "Don't move." She reaches up and brushes my hair across my forehead and then runs her hand down my cheek. She licks her lips again and then… she kisses me. Every nerve ending in my body comes to life. I'm tingling all the way to my toes. She pulls back and looks in my eyes. They're still mostly golden; that's a good sign. So I snake my hands into her chestnut hair and pull her back to me. I sit up and advance toward her as I reach behind her and wrap my arm around her back. It's a sensation like none other. My skin is tingling and my body is screaming I'm home I'm home. It's the most wonderful experience of my life. Then suddenly she's gone. "NO!"

I open my eyes and she's standing across the room holding onto the wall like her life depends on holding that one wall in place. She has a very distressed expression on her face and then I see her eyes. They're black. "Bella...." I stand and take step toward her.

"Don't move, Edward," she hisses at me. "Please, don't move; just stay where you are." She turns and places her forehead on the wall. "I'm a monster," she sobs. "I love you so much and when I try to show you, I almost kill you. Rosalie is right, I should leave you alone. I don't deserve you."

"Bella, please look at me." She shakes her head. "Bella, please, you have to look at me." She turns and looks at me then shudders and looks at the floor. "What did you just say?"

"I almost killed you." She's wringing her hands and sobbing, although I don't see any tears.

"Before that," I press her. I want confirmation that I heard her correctly.

"I'm a monster." She drops her face into her hands and shakes her head.

"After that." I really need to hear her say it again.

She looks up and she smiles. It's like it has just dawned on her what she said. Her smile widens. "I love you?"

"That. Did you mean that?" Dear Lord, please let her have meant it.

"Yes, Edward. With all my heart, I do."

"I love you, too, Bella. You are not a monster. You will not kill me. And you do deserve me." I take a step toward her. She looks scared, but doesn't stop me. I take another step and then another until I'm standing in front of her. She looks down again. I take her chin and make her look at me. "See there, all golden again. You can control it, Love. I'll help you. We'll figure it out together." I kiss her lightly on the forehead and then on the tip of her nose and finally on her perfect ruby lips. "Please don't go. Stay with me for a little while. I don't think I could stand it if you left right now."

"Okay, but you have to get some sleep." So we go back to my bed and I lie down. She lies next to me and we talk. She asks me questions about my childhood and about my favorite things. I ask her what life is like as a vampire and what it's like to have lived so long. We talk, we share. When I yawn she tells me to go to sleep, but I don't want her to leave so I fight it. Sometime in the night I have put my arm around her. She turns and rolls over to place her head on my chest. "I can find you in a crowd by your heartbeat. I have the rhythm memorized. It's the most beautiful music I have ever heard."

I start to stroke her silken hair. "Esme said that you're a musician. What do you play?"

"You name it and I can probably play it. I mostly play the piano though." She's playing with my shirt; pulling it up and rolling it between her fingers.

"Could I hear you play sometime?" I run my hand up and down her back. I feel her sigh against me chest.

"I'd like that. Edward, you really should get some sleep. You'll be exhausted tomorrow." She tries to get up and I pull her back to my chest.

"I don't want you to leave." She sighs again and then snuggles into me.

"I won't leave until Renee wakes. I shouldn't be here just in case she decides to check on you."

"Okay, just don't leave before then." I can't believe that she isn't leaving. I've never slept with anyone before. I hope I don't snore.

"Where would I go? I'm home now." And I finally drift off to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the week is much the same. Bella picked me up for school at promptly 7:15 every morning. She took me to work and picked me up at 6:50 every night. At 10:00 she would appear at my window and come into my room. We'd talk and kiss, although never as intensely or deeply as that first night, until I drifted off to sleep. She would stay with me, in my bed, until Renee got up to go to work.

The talk at school is starting to subside. Mike still gives me dirty looks in class and in the cafeteria, but Bella says that he is angrier about the detention and being grounded than he is about our relationship. I've noticed that Eric, Tyler, and Jessica are no longer sitting at Mike's table at lunch. I know that he'll be back at work on Monday and I'm dreading it. I know that he'll make it difficult. Bella keeps telling me to stop worrying about it.

When I wake Friday morning Bella is gone, as usual. I go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. Then I look in the mirror. I turn to the right and then to the left. I still don't see the attraction, but I do see a slight difference … I have perma-smile. I can't seem to wipe the goofy grin off of my face. I have to stop looking like such a dork, but I'm so happy. I wonder if this is how Ben feels about Angela. I brush my teeth and try to tame my hair. That's a hopeless endeavor. I dress and am going down stairs when I hear the knock at the door. It's 7:00, she's early.

"Hey, you're early!" I open the door and she's there looking every bit the goddess that she is. I am a lucky, lucky man. She's wearing a grey sweater and navy slacks. Her hair is down and flowing like liquid chocolate around her shoulders.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait to see you." She steps forward and kisses me lightly on the lips. "I couldn't wait to do that actually. Are you ready to go?"

"Come on in. I have to get my things together and then we can go." I put all of my books back in my bag and turn to head for the door. That's when I see her in the living room. She's looking at the pictures Renee has on the mantel. They start with my baby picture and progress to last year's school picture. I groan internally. I look like such a nerd in pictures. She's surveying each one. "Are you ready?" I say, trying to pull her away from the embarrassing photos.

"You were an adorable child," she says, pointing at my third grade picture. "You don't really resemble your mother. She's dark haired and dark eyed. Do you look like your father?"

"I don't know. I've never seen him. Renee was pregnant with me when she moved back here from Phoenix. I don't even know his last name." I blush with embarrassment. I don't like that my mother was, well that way. I look down at the floor because I don't want to see the accusatory look in Bella's eyes.

"I don't remember my birth parents clearly. Carlisle says that I resemble my mother. I don't know, I can't remember. I wish sometimes that I had a picture of them, just so I would know. It's hard, not knowing where you come from." She takes my hand and I look up to see her smiling at me.

"I've never had anyone understand before. Renee won't tell me anything but a first name. I wish I knew him. I wish he knew me. I have so many questions." She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me. I hug her back and smile. "We'd better go, or we'll be late."

She releases me and looks up into my eyes. Then she takes my hand and we walk out to her car. We get in the car and she turns to me and asks, "Can Ben take you to work this afternoon?"

"I'm sure he can, is anything wrong?" I stroke her cheek with my knuckles. Her skin is so smooth and cold.

"No everything's fine. Alice and I are leaving at lunch to go hunting. I can pick you up from work, but I need to hunt to be prepared for tomorrow." She takes my hand and presses it to her cheek. "Hmm, so warm."

"About that, what are we doing? You haven't told me anything. Do I need to do anything to prepare, too?" I turn my hand over so she can feel the warmth a little longer.

"You could tell your mother that you're spending the day with me." She looks at me hopefully. We had this discussion two nights ago.

"Um, no. I don't want to be crippled from Renee swinging me around the room. She gets too excited when I mention you. She would badger me for details if she knew. I don't want to have to lie to her. I've never had to lie to her before and I'm not good at it. I'm not telling her." I have made up my mind and am stubbornly sticking to my decision.

"Then tell Ben and Angela." She tried this tactic two nights ago; it didn't work then either.

"Again, they get too excited." She might as well give up. I won't budge.

"Edward, please. I need a reason to bring you back. What if something happens and I slip?" she pleads with me.

"You aren't going to slip."

"I could."

"You won't."

"Edward…"

"Forget it. I'm not going to argue with you about it. Our first fight is not going to be about me telling someone that I am spending the day with my vampire girlfriend. You'll just have to exercise extreme self-control, just like I have to every night with you in my bed."

"What are you talking about?" She's confused, although the answer to her question should be obvious.

"Bella, my love, I am a normal seventeen year old man, with a beautiful woman in his bed. What do you think I'm talking about?" Hormones are hell.

"Oh. Well, I could stop spending the night with you if that would help," she says sheepishly.

"Don't you dare!" I take her hand and kiss it. She giggles. We get out of her car and walk hand-in-hand to the math building. I kiss her on the cheek and go to English. After class I ask Ben if he can take me to work that afternoon.

"Sure. Is there trouble in paradise?"

"No, she has an appointment this afternoon. She and Alice are leaving at lunch." An appointment sounds better than saying that my girlfriend and her sister are going hunting wild animals with their bare hands this afternoon.

"So, are you going to be eating with us today?"

"I don't know, I guess. Am I still welcome?" I have abandoned them this week. I feel like a terrible friend.

"Sure. Maybe next week you and Bella can eat with us. We'd like to get to know the woman that has put that goofy grin on your face." He nudges me.

"We'll see. I'll talk to Bella about it." I don't know how comfortable Bella would be with Angela and Ben. They're bound to ask her some questions that may be difficult to answer.

The morning moves slowly. I don't like the idea of not seeing Bella again until tonight. That's why I'm so excited to see her and Alice waiting outside of the cafeteria. "Hey, I thought you had an appointment this afternoon."

"I do, but I wanted to make sure that you had a ride to work." She looks at Ben.

"Don't worry, we'll get him there," Ben says as he punches me in the arm. I glare at him and rub me shoulder. I'm going to kill him.

"Thank you, Ben. Well, I'll see you tonight," she says and takes me hand. I lean down and kiss her. Ben immediately starts making kissing noises. I'm going to kill him.

"I'll see you later. I have to kill Ben now. You don't want to be here to witness it." She and Alice laugh and head to the parking lot. "Angela, I must murder you're lesser half. Is there anything you'd like to tell him before he dies?"

"I love you, Ben, but you asked for it." She's smiling widely. "Do you need help hiding the body?" You have to love Angela.

I struggle through the rest of the day. Not seeing Bella is difficult. Ben and Angela drop me at Newton's. Angela tells me to call her if Bella doesn't show up to take me home. I tell her not to wait for that call. If Bella says she'll pick me up, then she will. I think about telling them about tomorrow, but then they'll never leave. At promptly 6:50 Bella comes in the store and Mr. Newton lets me go ahead and leave.

We get in the car and I ask, "How was the hunting?"

"Good, actually. I had mountain lion. How was the rest of the school day?"

"Horrible without you there. I missed you terribly." I take her hand and squeeze it. "I hate being away from you. It feels like part of me is missing."

"I know; I feel the same. Did you tell anyone about tomorrow?" She has that hopeful look again.

"You know I didn't. I thought we had settled this." Why won't she drop this?

"Edward, be reasonable. I'm dangerous. I know that you don't want to believe it, but I am. You seem to forget; I am a vampire. You are human. Please tell someone so that I have a reason to bring you back."

"You'll bring me back, I trust you." She won't hurt me.

"Edward, I don't trust me."

We pull into my driveway and I lean over and kiss her lips. "Sweetheart, everything will be fine. If you can't trust yourself, then trust me. I love you and I'll see you later." I get out of the car and look back. She's pouting. I wonder now if I will see her later tonight.

I shouldn't have worried. Bella tapped on my window at precisely 10:00. Since I didn't have school the next day I stayed up with her until she left at 3:00, when Renee got up to get ready for work. Bella would be back to get me at 10:00 in the morning so I set my alarm for 9:00 and finally slept. She still hadn't told me what we're going to do or where we're going. The suspense is killing me.

When the alarm sounds I jump out of bed and start to get ready. I am overly excited about today, and more than a little nervous. Truthfully, the more I think about it the more I begin to think that I should have told Renee about today. Oh well, too late now. I eat breakfast and then brush my teeth and tame my crazy hair. It's 9:50 and Bella should be here any minute. A person could set a watch by my girlfriend. I love it!

I hear the car pull into the drive and go out onto the porch. Bella is in Emmett's jeep today. She motions for me to come over to her. I get to her window and lean in, "Do you want to come in while I get my jacket?"

"Um, no. I'll wait here for you if that's okay."

"Sure I'll be right back." I go back inside and get my things. I climb, literally, into the Jeep and we hit the highway. "Bella, please, where are we going?"

"I have a place I want you to see and I have something about me that I want to show you."

"Do I get to see your fangs today?"

She turns and shakes her head at me. "I swear you watch too many movies. You should know that Hollywood has yet to get it completely right. They get parts of it, but the whole is never anywhere close to the truth."

"I was making a joke, Bella. Believe me, I already question everything I thought I knew." We get to the end of the 110 and Bella turns onto an ATV trail. We drive through the woods and underbrush. The Jeep has no trouble slicing a path through the forest. "I take it that this is why Emmett drives this thing. So he can go mudding in the woods without getting stuck."

"Probably, but that isn't why I'm driving it today. I usually just run through everything to get to where we're going. I thought that you might find that to be a little difficult. Driving is a better option with you here." Just then we drive into a clearing. It's the most beautiful meadow I have ever seen. The grass is still impossibly green. The sun is shining down making the area seem almost magical. I'm awestruck by the perfectness of it. I slowly open the door and jump out of the Jeep. As my feet touch the ground they sink into the grass like it's a plush carpet. I take a few steps then bend down to touch it. "It's called winter grass," she says. "It stays like this all winter and dies in the summer."

"It's gorgeous. This place is gorgeous. How did you find it?" I turn and notice that Bella is standing back in the tree line. "Love, what's wrong?"


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Thirteen**

"Bella, are you okay?" She's still standing in the share of the trees.

The corners of her mouth turn up in a devilish grin. "Yes, just admiring the view. You're breathtaking when the sun shines on your hair like that. It brings out all of the highlights."

I blush, of course, and extend my hand to her. "Why don't you join me out here, love? The sun comes out so infrequently in Forks."

"That's what I want to show you, Edward. I look… different in the sunlight. I don't want you to be frightened." She takes a tentative step farther back into the trees.

"Bella, nothing about you frightens me," I assure her. "I love you. I will love you no matter what you look like in the sun." How bad can it be?

She takes a step forward and the sunlight reflects off her hand. I gasp. She steps back. "Edward, I don't think this was such a good idea. I've never shown myself to a human like this." She pulls the sleeves of her sweater down over her hands.

I walk over to her, push up her sleeves, and take her hand. I pull her gently out of the shade and into the meadow. Her skin erupts. "It's like diamonds," I whisper. "You're beautiful."

"It's the skin of a monster, Edward. It isn't beautiful. It marks me for what I am. It's shameful." She pulls her hand away. She looks down at her hands in disgust and pulls her sleeves down again.

"No, Bella, never think that way. You aren't a monster. You can't be. I could never love a monster the way I love you." I pull her into a soft kiss. "Let's get that blanket out of the Jeep and sit."

She looks at me and smiles. "You're unbelievable. You should run from me. I can't for the life of me deduce why you stay."

"You think too much. Come on; let's enjoy the rest of this rare sunshine." I go back to the Jeep and get the blanket. We walk to the center of the clearing and spread out the blanket. She rolls up her sleeves and lies down on the blanket. I sit next to her and stare. I can't help it. She's mesmerizing. Her skin literally sparkles. It's like she's covered in diamonds. I reach out and stroke her arm. Her skin is smooth. It looks like it should be rough. It's a contradiction. I'm lost in thought when she speaks.

"Are you going to stare at me all afternoon?" Her eyes are closed. She is obviously enjoying the sun.

"Probably." You're sparkling…hello! "Am I bothering you?"

"No. I just wish I knew what you were thinking." She opens her eyes and turns her head to look at me.

"I'm thinking that I didn't know you could be more beautiful. I didn't think that I could be more in love. What about you?" I push a stray hair off her face.

"I'm thinking that I don't deserve to be this happy. And that I wish you would rub my arm again. It feels amazing when you do that," she says and smiles at me.

I comply and run my fingers softly down her arm. She sighs. "Do you feel alright?"

"What do you mean?" She looks at me, confused.

"No urge to grab me and drain the life-blood from my body?" I regret saying it the second it leaves my mouth.

"Edward," she suddenly sits up forgetting to move at human speed. "Why would you even bring that up?"

I jump back. She's never moved that quickly in front of me before and it startles me. "I don't know. The thought just popped into my head. I didn't mean to offend you?" I am so stupid.

"Do you think about that often?" she implores me. She looks extremely upset. I'm wishing I could rewind this conversation and edit out my inane question.

"No, actually today is the first time that the thought has occurred to me that it's even a possibility. I usually don't think that you will do it." I really don't. Why did it pop into my head just now?

She looks deep into my eyes and says, "Are you afraid of me now, Edward?" Instead of the usual hopeful expression she used to get when she asked me this question, she looks scared herself.

"No, Bella, I'm not afraid. I sometimes wish I could be like you, so it would be easier for you. But, I'm not afraid. I don't know why I said it. I know that you won't do it. I trust you." I reach for her hand and she moves away. "Please, love, don't do that. I can't bear it. Please, forgive me and let me touch you. I've ruined a perfect moment I really want to take it all back. Please, Bella, forget I said anything. It was stupid."

She reaches out and touches my face. "Edward, I will never hurt you. I will leave before I hurt you. If you die, I die. The second you take your last breath, I will also cease to exist." She leans in and kisses me gently. She pulls back and I reach out and take her face in my hands and kiss her. I lower her to the blanket and wrap my arms around her. We are kissing harder now and I can feel myself wanting more, when she suddenly pushes me away. "Edward, no, we can't. I can't. It's too much." She stands and walks back toward the trees. I stand up to follow her. "Wait. Let me get a breath. I have to compose myself. Just wait for me. I'll be right back." I settle back onto the blanket. She walks into the forest so I lie down with my arms behind my head.

I must have dozed off, because the sun has moved in the sky when she returns. She lies down next to me and places her head on my chest. I wrap my arm around her. "Hi," I say into her hair. "Are you better?"

"Yes. I'm sorry about that. You have an… effect on me. It's hard to control my urges when you kiss me like that. I think we should try to keep it a little more chaste. At least until I can be sure of my control." She's playing nervously with the buttons on my shirt.

"I think you have the same 'effect' on me, but I kind of like it." I hug her closer to my side.

"But you don't have the potential to kill me. And I didn't say that I didn't like it." She turns her face toward my shirt and inhales. "It's getting easier to be this near to you, but when I taste you on my lips…. Let's just say that it gets difficult to resist you."

"So, I should control myself more?" That could be easier said than done. She's pretty irresistible herself.

"Could you, please? It would make it easier for me." Well, that cinches it. I would jump through hoops of fire to make it easier for her. I don't want her to pull away from me again. I need to feel her close to me.

"Not a problem. We'll go at your pace. So, are we staying here all day or do you have other plans?" Not that staying here like this for the rest of eternity wouldn't be great, but Renee would probably panic if I never came home again.

"This is going better than I had anticipated so I thought that we would stay here until twilight and then I would take you back to your house so you and Renee could have dinner. Then I thought that I could come back and pick you up so we could go to Port Angeles for truck parts. That is if your mother doesn't mind."

"She has a date tonight. She's leaving from the hospital, so she won't be home until later. We could stop and let me get something before we go back to my house. I'll need to get my checkbook for the parts. Is Rosalie about finished with my baby?" I really want my truck back.

"She will be when she gets the parts. Are you that anxious to stop riding to school with me?" She raises herself up onto her elbow so she can look at my face. She does this a lot when she asks me questions. It's like she's reading my expressions since she can't read my mind.

"No, but I do like my independence. I would also like to pick up my girlfriend for a real date. I am the man in this relationship, you know." I softly stroke her sparkling cheek.

"Am I making you question you manhood?" she asks as she nudges me in the side. She's teasing me.

"Most definitely not! I would like to have as normal a relationship with you as I can, considering the circumstances. In a normal relationship, I would pick you up for school and I would take you on dates. I've never done that with anyone else and I would kind of like to experience that. If you don't mind dating me, that is." I like it when we tease each other. It makes me feel like this is a normal relationship.

"I would love to date you. I've never done that either." She sighs as she settles back with her head resting over my heart.

"Then it's settled. Renee will be ecstatic." I'll probably end up having knee surgery. Renee is killing me with the dancing around the room. My knees and shins are covered in bruises. I hit the coffee table every time.

We stay in the meadow until twilight; just talking and holding one another. It's hard to describe how it feels to have her that close to me. I still feel the electric spark, but now it's more comfortable. It feels like coming home. On the way back to my house Bella stops at the diner and I get something to eat. I leave a note for Renee, just in case she gets home before I do. Then we leave for Port Angeles. We go to the auto parts store and get the things on Rosalie's list.

On the way back to Forks she asks, "Do you think that Renee is home yet?"

I check my watch. "If she is, then the date didn't go well. Why?"

"I thought that you might like to go back to my house and take that tour that Esme is pestering me about. Rosalie may even get your truck finished and you can drive it home."

"Let me call the house and check." I dial my home and get the machine. I leave Renee a message telling her that Bella and I are going to her house with the parts so that Rosalie can finish my truck. I promise to not be late. "Let's go. I can't wait to see the rest of your house. It's amazing from the outside. I can only imagine the inside."

We drive back to Forks and go to the Cullen house. Every light in the downstairs is on. I can see Emmett and Jasper in the living room. They appear to be playing a video game. I ask Bella, "Will Jasper be okay?"

"I think he will be. He's been doing really well. Don't worry, we can contain him. Come on." She opens her door and steps out. She walks around the car and helps me unload our purchases. We enter the house and Emmett looks up.

"Edward, hey. I didn't know Bella was bringing you here tonight." He looks pointedly at Alice. She shrugs and goes back to her laptop. "Do you play video games? Move over, Jazz." He pushes Jasper and he moves to the far end of the couch. I'm not sure if I should approach him so I look at him questioningly. Jasper nods and smiles.

"Hi, Edward. Come over and whip Emmett's behind. He deserves it." Jasper holds the controller out to me.

"No one can whip the Mighty Em. I am the MLB '09 champ. Come over here, bro, and get served." He motions me over to the couch.

I look at Bella and she rolls her eyes. "Give me the bag." She takes it from me and motions to the couch. "Go and have your guy time." She walks over to Rosalie and they go out the back door.

I walk around the couch and settle in between the two vampires. I take the control from Jasper and say, "You're going down, Cullen."

Jasper sits with us for the first game and seems to be unfazed by me, although he does lean away from me. Before the second game he gets up and goes over to Alice. He leans over and kisses her on top of the head. She shuts down her computer and they leave through the front door. I look at Emmett. He shrugs and goes back to the game. Midway through the second game Bella and Rosalie come back in.

"Who's winning?" Bella asks.

"Right now, the Mighty Em. But, I brought him to his knees in the first game. Who's the champ now, Cullen?" I bump his shoulder with mine. I forget he's hard as a rock. That's going to bruise.

Emmett pushes me on the arm and surprisingly doesn't launch me across the room. Bella must have talked to him. "It ain't over until it's over, Masen. You ain't winning this one."

Bella leans over the couch and whispers in my ear, sending chills down my spine, "Edward, honey, it's 11:30."

"Crap, Emmett, I have to go. Let's just call it a draw, okay?" I try to hand the controller to him.

He pushes the controller back toward me. "Just stay here tonight," Emmett says. "I don't want you to go until we finish this and if I win we'll need a tie breaker."

"Renee will never agree to that." No way is my mother going to let me stay the night at my girlfriend's house. She is not that liberal.

"Would it help if I called her, dear?" I hadn't even heard Esme come into the room. "I could assure her that you would be completely safe and staying in one of the boys' rooms. Do you think that she would let you stay then?"

"I don't have anything to wear for tomorrow. I really shouldn't." I can't stay here. It would be weird. Renee will never agree anyway.

"Come on, bro. You can wear something of mine. Don't leave. It'll be cool. Call your mom and let Esme talk to her."

"You aren't going to let me get out of this defeat gracefully are you?"

"No," he says with a smirk.

"Fine, I'll call her, but she's going to say no." I call the house and Renee answers. I explain that Emmett and I are in the middle of a video game and that he wants me to stay over so we can finish and have a possible tie breaker game.

"Is Bella there?" she asks.

"Yes." I knew that she would never agree to this.

"Are her parents there?" Where is she going with this?

"Yes. Would you like to talk to her mother?" She'll politely explain to Esme why my staying would be inappropriate and then I will go home.

"Yes."

I hand the phone to Esme and she talks briefly to Renee. She assures Renee that she and Carlisle will be here all night and that I will be staying with Emmett in his room. I can't hear what Renee is saying but Esme is smiling. She hands me back the phone.

"Hey, Mom. Well?" I know that she said no.

"You can stay. Behave yourself. I'll see you tomorrow."

I can't believe it. She said yes. "Well, it looks like I get to see if you really are the champ, Emmett. She said yes."

Emmett high fives me. "Prepare to be humiliated." We go back to the game and Bella leaves with Rosalie. I turn as she walks out the door. She looks and me and mouths 'hunting' then blows me a kiss.

A few hours later, I have won two out of three and Emmett is demanding a rematch. I'm too tired to comply tonight so I ask Esme where she had planned for me to sleep. She leads me up to the third floor and opens a door. The room is filled with music; cds, cassette tapes, albums, you name it and it's there. There's a guitar on a stand in the corner and a violin in the case on a chair by the windowed wall. A keyboard is against another wall. A couch has been made up into a bed. There's a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants on the couch.

"I got you some clothes from Emmett's room to sleep in. I think you're more Jasper's size. I'll bring you something up in the morning from his closet for you to change into. The bathroom is through that door. Sleep well, dear. I'll give you a tour of the house tomorrow after breakfast." She closes the door and I look around again. It dawns on me that I'm in Bella's room. I start to look around a little more closely. She has every type of known music in just about every form. The stereo built into the wall is the most intricate piece of technology I have ever seen. I don't dare touch it. I'm still ogling the stereo when I hear the door open.

"See anything interesting?" She's leaning against the door frame. She has that crooked smile on her face that I find kind of, well… sexy. I suddenly feel warm and flushed.

I turn back toward her wall of music. "This is amazing. I'm afraid to touch anything. You're really into music."

"Yes. I've lived alone for decades, Edward. I had to develop an interest to pass the time. I don't sleep, remember?" She walks into the room and stands next to me.

"Well, I do, and I'm exhausted. Excuse me while I have a human moment." I get the clothes off of the bed and go into the bathroom. There's a new toothbrush and tube of toothpaste on the counter that I assume to be mine. I get in the shower and then put on Emmett's clothes. They swallow me, but the pants are long enough. I brush my teeth and go back into the bedroom. Bella is sitting in the corner strumming the guitar. She looks up and smiles. "What are you playing?"

"Just something I've been playing around with." She puts the guitar back on the stand.

"Can I hear it?"

"When I finish it. You should sleep." She gets up and walks toward the door.

"Are you going to stay with me?" She stays with me at my house. Why would things be different here?

"I don't think we'll both fit," she says as she gestures to the couch. "And what would your mother think?"

"What Renee doesn't know, won't hurt her. I think we can manage the couch. Come here." I reach out and take her hand. We cuddle together on the couch. I drift off into a happy slumber.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I wake in the morning and Bella is not with me. I get up and go to the bathroom for another human moment and to brush my teeth again. I see another set of clothes on the counter. I look at the jeans and see that their close enough to my size to fit so I put them on. The shirt fits too. I put my shoes on and go downstairs. As I get closer to the main floor I smell food. I follow my nose and my stomach to the kitchen. Bella, Esme, and Alice are in the room. I see a stack of blueberry pancakes with whipped cream, eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage links, toast with every flavor of jelly you could want, hash brown potatoes, and coffee. Alice is squeezing oranges for juice. "Are we expecting more humans or is this all for me?"

Bella walks to me and kisses me. "We weren't sure what you would like so we made everything we could think of. I vaguely remember enjoying eggs with cheese when I was human."

"And I loved blueberry pancakes," Esme says.

"I've seen potatoes like this on television. The people of the TV seem to enjoy them," Alice says as she bounces around the kitchen.

"You know that I'll never eat all of this." I hug Bella and kiss her on the top of the head. "But I appreciate it. Thank you all. It smells wonderful."

"Just eat what you want and we'll dispose of the rest," Esme says as she hands me a plate. I take a couple of pancakes and some eggs. I get a two pieces of bacon and two sausage links. I put a spoon full of Alice's potatoes on the plate too. Then I get a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. Bella brings me two slices of toast on another plate and sits with me at the kitchen counter. I won't need to eat again today. I finish my breakfast and try to get Esme to let me help with the clean up but she insists that she has it covered.

"Edward, dear, you're a guest. I would never dream of letting you clean anything as a guest. Let me finish here and we'll go on that tour." She takes my plate and turns to the sink to wash it.

Bella takes me outside to the garage. "Rose finished your truck last night. It runs great. It doesn't sound as bad as it did before. She did a tune up and replaced the fuel injector."

We get inside the garage and I see a truck that resembles mine, but looks much better than I remember mine looking. "What did she do? It doesn't even look like the same truck."

"She just cleaned it up. Put a couple of coats of wax on it. Don't you like it?"

"Well, yeah, I just don't recognize it." I walk around the truck and inspect it. "She got the dents out." I run my hand down the side. "Where is she? I owe her a huge thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Emmett has you covered. He helped with the clean up and he already thanked her." She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh. I see." I look back at the truck. Bella comes around and meets me at the truck bed.

"Now you can take me on that date," she smiles and looks up at me from under her lashes. She suddenly looks toward the house. "Esme is ready to give you that tour now." She takes my hand and we go back to the house.

We enter and Esme puts her arm around my shoulders and leads me to the stairs. "I thought that we would start at the third floor and go down." We ascend the stairs. "You've seen Bella's room. If you noticed, she has a bit of a music fetish. I covered the walls with carpeted wallpaper for acoustics. If you follow me, Alice and Jasper's room is down this hall." We walk away from Bella's room. At the end of the hall, Esme opens a door. The room is filled with antique furniture. The bed is the focal point. "Jasper was alive during the Civil War, so I decorated this room with paintings depicting that era. The furniture is made in the style of that time too. Alice has a penchant for fashion, so I converted the bedroom next door into a closet for her. The bathroom," she opens the door, "is mostly mirrors for her. That way she can see how her clothes look from every angle. I also put in an extra long counter for her make-up and hair styling products."

We leave Alice and Jasper's area and descend to the second floor. We turn to the right and enter another bedroom. "This is Rosalie and Emmett's room. Rosalie was a young woman in the 1930s. All of the furniture is from that time. She compromised with Emmett and let him pick the comforter and the paintings for the walls. He's a sports nut, if you can't tell from the baseball print comforter. He and I found old photos from the early days of professional baseball and had them framed for the walls." We exit and go back towards the stairs. At the other end of the hall are two doors. Esme opens one and reveals an almost all white bedroom. "I told you I was in my white phase. This is my and Carlisle's room. He let me have full reign so I did it in all white. I'll probably change it to something else soon. All of the furniture is from a modern furniture designer based in Seattle. I love the way the black contrasts with the white." She turns and we go back out into the hall and walk to the other door. "This is Carlisle's office." She opens the door and I gasp. There are bookcases covering three of the walls. "My husband is a voracious reader. He is also a collector of artwork." She gestures to the wall behind me and my mouth drops open.

"Are these all originals?" There are portraits and paintings covering the wall. I recognize some of them from books. They're the works of master artists. I'm in awe.

"Most are, yes. He's been collecting for many centuries. You'll have to come back when he's here and let him tell you about each one. We've all heard the stories. He'll love to have fresh ears." We leave the room and go down to the first floor. "You've seen the living room and the kitchen, but I don't think you've seen Bella's other room. I think she's in there now." Esme leads me toward the double sliding doors at the far end of the living room. I hear piano music coming from the room. Esme slides the doors open and Bella is sitting at an enormous grand piano. She's playing a piece that I've never heard before, but it's hauntingly beautiful.

She sees us and stops playing. "Please, don't stop. It's beautiful." She smiles and begins playing Fur Elise. I turn but Esme has already left. I walk to the couch that is against the wall and sit. I snicker to myself. This song always makes me think of McDonald's.

"What?" She stops and looks at me.

"Nothing. Keep playing."

"Not until you tell me what's so funny about Beethoven."

"That piece reminds me of McDonald's," I say with a snicker. "You know, 'Oh I wish I were already there, instead of here, playing this song'. The commercial with the little girl at the piano recital."

She sighs, rolls her eyes, and starts playing Moonlight Sonata. "What about this one?"

"I've always been more of a Debussy man myself, but Moonlight Sonata is beautiful." She starts playing Claire De Lune. "How did you know that this is my favorite? I thought you couldn't read my mind."

"It's my favorite too." She closes her eyes and plays. If it is possible, she's even more beautiful at this moment. Suddenly the piece changes and she's playing something I've never heard before. It's a sad melody. I see her brow furrow. Slowly it changes and it becomes brighter. It slows as she finishes and becomes an unusual mix of happiness and melancholy.

"Wow that was beautiful. What was it?"

"I don't know yet. I haven't titled it." She looks down at the keys.

"You composed that?" Esme said that Bella is musical. She never mentioned the composing.

"Yes… for you."


	15. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Fourteen**

_**I want so desperately to never leave Bella's side, but I have to go home. Sunday is always Renee's day. Bella walks me to my truck and I kiss her softly. It's not how I want to kiss her. I want to wrap my arms around her and kiss her deeply and with the passion I feel in every molecule of my body. But… that would make her uncomfortable. I will make this easy for her. I have it so easy in this relationship. I'm not struggling or giving up anything. She's sacrificing so much. I know that being around me is painful for her. The least I can do is control my passion.**_

_**I start my truck. It does sound better! I look in the rearview mirror to see Bella waving as I drive away from her house. I'll see her tonight. I think to myself. It's the only thing that will get me through today; knowing that I will see her tonight. I miss her already. It feels like a piece of me is missing. I have a physical ache in my chest. I look at my watch. I have to wait at least twelve hours to see her again. I'll never make it. I look at my phone. I could call her. Hearing her voice might help. I reach for the phone and it rings. I jump at the sound. I check the caller ID expecting Renee. My heart flutters; it's Bella!**_

"_**Hello, my love," I answer. "I miss you already. I'll never make it until 10:00 tonight." Don't turn the truck around!**_

"_**I know. I tried to not call, but I couldn't resist. I had to hear your voice. Are you almost home?" She sounds as miserable as I feel. I never want to leave her.**_

"_**No, I don't drive 65 miles per hour through town. I'm about ten minutes away. I want to turn around and spend today with you." And tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day….**_

"_**You should spend the day with your mother. I'll see you tonight. Call me when you go to your room for the night and I'll come on over. I can't wait until 10:00 either," she says anxiously.**_

"_**Okay, I'm turning onto my street. I'll call you later. Love you." Words can't express how much I love her.**_

"_**Me, too. Bye."**_

"_**Bye," I sigh and reluctantly close the phone. I should turn around and just go back to where I belong. I can see my house ahead, but it no longer feels like home. My home is with Bella. I turn into the driveway and see Renee peek out of the living room window. I turn off the ignition. As I slowly slide out of the truck I think, 'I don't want to do this today.' I get to the porch and open the door. There's Renee.**_

"_**We need to have a little talk," she says. She motions for me to sit on the couch. She comes around and sits in the chair facing me. "Edward, I remember what it was like with my first boyfriend. It was intense. I can see that you and Bella are getting… close. I want to be sure that you understand the consequences of your actions. If you and she aren't careful…"**_

_**This isn't happening. "Whoa. Are you having 'the talk' with me? I already know about it, Mom. We don't have to have this conversation." Please don't make me have this conversation. "Bella and I… it's not like that. We're not… you know. We don't… do that. We aren't going to do that. You don't have to talk to me about it." I am so embarrassed.**_

"_**Yes, Edward, I do. I'm your mother. You and this girl are moving very fast. You need to be careful. Things can happen. Mistakes can happen."**_

"_**Like me?" I've always known that I was a big "oops". It doesn't bother me anymore.**_

"_**You weren't a mistake. You were an unexpected…"**_

"_**Mistake." I've come to terms with it; so should she.**_

"_**No. I just wasn't trying and…" She looks uncomfortable.**_

"_**Mom, what's Charlie's last name?" I have no idea where that came from.**_

"_**Oh, Edward, you know that I can't remember." She waves her hand in the air, dismissively. **_

_**Now that it's out there I really want to know. "Mom, that's a lie. Please don't lie to me anymore. I really need to know. I feel so lost most of the time. I need for you to be honest with me now. I'm too old for you to keep in the dark. I need to know where I come from. I need to know who I am. I'm begging you, Mom, please… what's his last name?"**_

"_**Please, Edward, don't." She stands to leave the room. I grab her arm to stop her. She is not getting off that easily this time.**_

"_**Mom, you're my best friend. I know I don't always act like it, but you are. You're all I have. I can't take not knowing anymore. Please. I've never asked for anything before and you know it. I'm asking now. Tell me everything. I can take it."**_

_**The flood gates break and Renee begins to cry like I've never seen a person cry before. Deep, body wrenching sobs escape her lips. I move from the couch and kneel in front of her to wrap my arms around her as she weeps. "Oh, God, Edward, oh God," she sobs over and over.**_

"_**Shh, Mom, it's okay. I just need to know. Please, it's time." It's past time. I need to know.**_

_**She takes several deep breaths and starts. Renee had always hated living in rainy, dreary Forks. She didn't apply to a single college in Washington state. She was going to where the sun shined all the time. She was going to the light. She was accepted at Grand Canyon University, a small, private liberal arts college. She jumped at the opportunity to move to Phoenix, Arizona. Gran tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined to not be stuck in Forks. She took out loans and got all of the financial aid she could and moved to Phoenix with no intention of ever coming back to Forks, Washington. She met Charlie Dwyer (finally a last name) in her first semester. He was gorgeous. He had the most beautiful, messy reddish brown hair and intense emerald green eyes. They fell madly in love. It wasn't a fling; she loved him. They had been together for five months when Renee discovered that she was pregnant. She panicked and fled back to Forks. She never contacted Charlie again. Refused to take his calls. He never knew why she left. He never knew about me.**_

_**She wipes her eyes with her hand and says, "Wait right here. I'll be right back." She goes upstairs and I hear her enter her room. She drags something across the floor. A few minutes later I hear her coming back downstairs. She's still crying, but she isn't sobbing anymore. She has a picture in her hand. "Here." She holds the photo out to me.**_

"_**Oh," I gasp. The man in the picture has to be Charlie Dwyer. He looks just like me. Or rather, I look like him. I lean back on the couch and just stare at the picture. I don't know what to say. All I had hoped for was a name. "Thank you," I whisper. I know that it was hard for her.**_

"_**You're welcome. What are you going to do now?" She looks scared. **_

"_**What?" What does she think I'm going to do? "Nothing. I – I just needed to know. Can I keep this for a while?" I ask, holding up the picture to her.**_

"_**You can have it. I have others." She sighs and sits next to me on the couch. "Do you hate me?"**_

"_**No, Mom, I don't hate you." I lean over and put my head on her shoulder like I did when I was little. "I just needed to know. I don't feel so lost anymore."**_

_**We sit on the couch for a while. I stare at the picture for a long time. Renee puts her arm around my shoulders and strokes my hair. Finally she speaks. "I should probably get to know your little girlfriend better. Why don't you ask her to have dinner with us tonight?"**_

_**Uh oh. "Are you cooking?" Renee's cooking is the only time I envy Bella for not being able to eat human food. How would I explain it to Renee when Bella doesn't eat anything? She'll think that Bella has an eating disorder.**_

"_**I could. I have a recipe that Cathy gave me. I could try it out tonight."**_

"_**Why don't we just see if she wants to come over and watch a movie or something with us tonight? I don't want her to run screaming from the house because of one of your new recipes."**_

"_**Edward! I'm not that bad!" She stiffens suddenly. "Wait, you didn't correct me. Is she? Does my sweet baby have a real honest to goodness girlfriend?"**_

"_**Mom, please." This is going to be bad.**_

"_**Are you really dating Dr. Cullen's daughter?" She has suddenly turned to grab my shoulders. She's staring at me with a crazed expression.**_

"_**Apparently, yes, I am." I brace myself for her typical overreaction.**_

_**She suddenly jumps from the couch and starts dancing around the room. "My son has a girlfriend. My son is dating." I put the picture of Charlie on the table because I know what's next. She grabs my wrists and hoists me from the couch. I'm prepared this time and manage to miss the coffee table. She swings me around the room, laughing. Her face is tear stained, but she looks so hopeful. I smile and dance with her. I have the information I've been wanting for most of my life. What am I going to do with it?**_

~*~*~*~*~*~

_**I called Bella to see if she would want to come over to watch a movie with Renee and me. She immediately said yes. Then she said that she would be right over. This was unacceptable in Edward World.**_

"_**Why don't you let me come and pick you up?" I ask.**_

"_**You don't have to do that, Edward. I can just drive over." I hear her pick up her keys.**_

"_**I know that I don't have to; I want to." I want to date my girlfriend.**_

"_**You'll never find the house," she says.**_

"_**Give me directions." She is not getting out of this.**_

"_**Edward, this is ridiculous. I'll be there in ten." I hear her getting into her car.**_

"_**I'm the man in this relationship and I will be there to pick you up in thirty minutes. Are you going to give me directions or let me drive all over Forks calling your name out of the window?" I am **_going to pick her up. My stubborn streak knows no bounds.

"_**You would actually do that, wouldn't you?" She sounds worried.**_

"_**Don't give me directions and we'll find out." I hope she doesn't call my bluff.**_

"_**Fine, you win," she says and gives me directions. "Call me if you get lost."**_

_**Thirty minutes later I pull my new to me truck up in front of the Cullen house. I half expect Bella to run out and meet me, but she doesn't. I walk to her front door and ring the bell. Dr. Carlisle Cullen answers the door.**_

"_**Good evening, Edward," Carlisle says as he opens the door wider to let me in. "It's good to see you under better circumstances. I understand that you are here to take Bella on a date."**_

_**Ah, now I see. She's playing along with me. I can play too. "Yes, sir. I thought that we would go back to my house to watch a movie. My mother will be there. She wants to meet Bella."**_

"_**Ah, very good. Bella is still getting ready. She should be down shortly." As if on cue, Bella descends the stairs. She's breathtaking. I hear myself gasp. Carlisle lets out a short laugh and shakes his head. "Have a good time. And Bella, don't be out too late, dear." Carlisle winks as he goes into the living room.**_

"_**You look stunning," I say as I kiss her cheek. "And, by the way, very funny. I'm glad I'm entertaining to the vampires. I'm serious about this, Bella. I want to do this the right way. It means something to me. It's not a joke." **_

_**She looks at me for a minute, and then kind of cocks her head to one side. "I had no idea, Edward. I thought you were just trying to be cute. This is one of those times that I wish I knew what you're thinking." She wraps her arms around me waist. "I apologize. You're right. It was insensitive. I'll do better." **_

_**I kiss her on top of the head and smile. She's so cute like this. "Thank you. This relationship is weird enough. I just want some normalcy." She looks up at me so I kiss her lips. "Are you ready to go? Renee is vibrating with excitement. We really shouldn't keep her waiting."**_

_**We pull up to the front of my house. I take a deep breath and start to get out of the truck. I look at Bella. She's still in the passenger seat looking amused. "What?"**_

"_**Your mother's mind is interesting. She's almost childlike. She's extremely excited for you. She thinks that I'm quite a catch. She's nervous that she'll embarrass you. She doesn't want you to be upset with her, especially after today. You got quite a bit of news today, didn't you? She's afraid that you will leave her to find him. She's a jumble of nerves and feelings and thoughts. Her mind is racing, but she's happy; so happy. And she loves you. She hopes that you don't really think that you were a mistake. You're the best thing that has ever happened to her. She wants me to like her, so that I will like you more."**_

"_**Bells," I say as I shake her arm. "You have to get out of Renee's head. It's an invasion of her privacy. I'm sure that she would rather no one know some of those thoughts."**_

"_**I know. It's hard to suppress it when the thoughts are as strong and as loud as Renee's are right now. Were you going to tell me about Charlie?"**_

"_**Yes, I was going to tell you tonight. She gave me a last name. Can we talk about it later tonight? I know she heard us pull up. She's probably waiting to dance you around the living room." At least if Bella kicks the coffee table it won't hurt her. Of course, the coffee table probably wouldn't survive.**_

_**I was right. Renee grabs Bella as soon as we walk in and hugs her tightly. Bella hugs back, but looks at me questioningly. I just shrug. If I can handle Alice hugging me, then Bella can handle Renee. We all three sit in the living room and watch The Heartbreak Kid. Renee thinks that Ben Stiller is hilarious; I think he has his moments. Bella laughs at all the right places and my mom looks at her approvingly. The movie ends and Renee makes a show of leaving us to go to bed. She turns the light off in the living room as she goes upstairs. I roll my eyes and look at Bella. "My mom is not known for her subtlety," I say in way of apology.**_

"_**I really like your mom," she says with a smile.**_

"_**Does that mean you like me more than you did before?" I ask, remembering what Bella had said about Renee's thoughts.**_

_**She leans into me and kisses me for a long time. She pulls back and says, "That would be a yes." We kiss for a bit longer. Finally Bella says, "You should probably take me home now."**_

"_**Why, you'll just run right back and climb in my window." I try to pull her back to me.**_

"_**You wanted a real date. You have to take me home for it to be considered a date." She stands and pulls me up. "Let's go. The sooner you get me home the sooner I can come back and meet you in your bed." I have to agree with her logic. I take her back to her house. We kiss and she says that she's going on a short hunt before she comes over. That should give me enough time to get back and get ready for bed. I don't factor Renee into the equation.**_

_**I walk in the door and my mom pounces. "I like her, Edward… a lot! She's so sweet and, my God, she's beautiful. She seems smart. Is she smart? And she really likes you. I can tell. When are you going out with her again? You should take her to a nice place for dinner on Friday."**_

"_**I'll see her in the morning at school. I'm off work on Friday and I fully intend to take her somewhere nice." Just not for dinner. "I'm really tired. If you're going to try to cripple me with dancing, can we go ahead and get it over with? I really want to get in the bed." I don't know how much time I have until Bella will be in my room. I don't want to waste any of my precious Bella time.**_

"_**How could dancing be crippling?" She seems confused.**_

"_**Mom, have you not been paying attention all my life? I could get crippled walking across a flat surface. Can we please talk about Bella later? I really want to crash." I'm so tired. It's been a long day.**_

"_**Sure, sure. Go to bed. We can talk later." We both ascend the stairs to get ready for bed.**_

_**Bella enters my room through my window at exactly 10:00. "Hey," she says as she lands silently on the floor.**_

"_**Hi." I open my arms for her to snuggle into me. I've been looking forward to this moment since I left her house.**_

"_**You've had quite a day. Do you want to talk about it?" She lies down at me side and inhales deeply.**_

"_**Renee gave me a last name and a picture." I try to not sound as excited as I feel. I honestly didn't think that Renee would actually tell me. I'm more than a little shocked. The picture is gravy.**_

"_**Can I see?" I reach over to my bedside table and hand her the photograph.**_

"_**Edward, you look just like him. It's uncanny." She hands me back the picture. "What do you plan to do with this new information?" **_

"_**Renee asked me that. I don't know yet; probably nothing. It's just great to know that my mother actually loved my father and that I'm not the product of a one-night stand. All these years I thought that the reason she came back to Forks was because he didn't want me. He never knew about me. Renee never gave him a chance to want me."**_

"_**Are you angry with your mother?"**_

"_**No, she was scared. She was confused. I understand." I mean that; I do understand. I would have been scared too.**_

"_**You're a good son, Edward. Most people would be angry. At least they would be a bit more upset." She kisses me gently on the neck. It sends chills down my side. I love it!**_

"_**I've never been able to be angry with Renee for very long. She loves me. She's all the family I have. I don't want to waste time being angry or upset with her." Renee did the only thing she could think of to do. Being angry with her would be pointless.**_

"_**Well, if you ever decide to find him or anything, I'll help you."**_

"_**I know you will, love." I kiss her gently on the lips. "I have a lot to think about. And I'm so tired."**_

"_**Sleep, sweetheart. We have eternity to talk." She hugs me tightly.**_

_**We do? I decide to let her comment go tonight. I'm too tired and I have other things pressing on my mind. The thought of going to work tomorrow has me concerned.**_


	16. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Fifteen**

As I pull my truck into the parking lot at school today, I see that Bella is already there and waiting by her Volvo. I get out and walk toward her. I can hear the whispers and I definitely notice the stares. Will they ever stop treating us like we're circus freaks? I don't see people staring at Ben and Angela or talking about them like they talk about Bella and me. It's annoying. I get to her and lean down to place a soft kiss on her lips. If they're going to talk, then I'm going to give them something to talk about. It has gone beyond ridiculous.

"You're just adding fuel to the fire, you know." She brushes a stray piece of hair off my forehead. The feel of her fingers brushing my skin still gives me comfortable chills.

"I know. I'm just sick of it. The novelty should have worn off by now." Really people, we're dating. It's not a big deal.

"They're jealous," she says matter-of-factly.

"I know. I'd be jealous of me too," I say as I wrap my arms around her.

"No, everyone… all of them… they're all jealous, boys and girls alike; green with envy."

"I don't understand. Why would they be jealous of you?" I'm nothing to get jealous over.

"I'm not explaining it to you again," she says as she takes my hand. "Your self-esteem should be a lot higher after seeing that picture of your father. He's a very good-looking man and you know that you look just like him."

I blush and smile. I'll never get used to how she sees me. Standing next to her I always feel like Quasimodo. I'm so thankful that she is blinded by love. I leave her with a kiss at the door of her first class. I get to English before the tardy bell. Rosalie is leaning against my desk when I walk in the door. "Hey, Rosalie. Thanks so much for fixing the truck. It runs better than it ever has and it looks great."

"No problem. It was fun. I've never worked on anything that old before. It was a learning experience. Emmett enjoyed practicing his auto painting skills. We've quit letting him change the color of our cars on a whim."

"What? He painted my truck? Bella said it was just waxed." I knew it!

"No amount of wax would have made it look that good. Emmett does all of the body work on our cars. He hasn't had the opportunity to practice in years. He used to change the color of our cars weekly. It was irritating. He also got out all of the dents and pings. We had a good time. It was… invigorating." She smiles suggestively.

"Oh, well I'll have to thank him too." I'll never be able to repay everything that Bella and her family do for me. I feel so inadequate sometimes.

"You can if you want, but we had an excellent time. We should really be thanking you." The bell rings and she takes her seat. I knew it was more than just a little wax!

I make it a point of seeing Emmett after class. "Hey, Emmett, thank you so much. I knew it was more than just a good wax job."

He throws his monster arm around my shoulders. "No, bro, thank you. The joint project really brought Rose and me together… if you know what I mean." He wiggles his eyebrows and smiles. "She was a wild woman!"

I shrug out from his arm. "TMI, man. I don't need that much detail. For future reference I don't need any detail."

Ben catches up with us. "Dude, did you get your truck painted?"

I motion to Emmett. "He did it. Looks great, right?"

"Man, I almost didn't recognize it. You have mad skills, Emmett." Ben is talking to Emmett but standing as far away from him as possible. Why is he acting so weird? Emmett is a big Teddy bear.

"Thanks. Let me know if you ever need your car done. I have any color you could possibly want. I love doing it and I rarely get the opportunity."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Ben looks flabbergasted. I'll have to let him know later that Emmett meant what he said.

_**My morning breezes by. Before I know it, it's lunch time. I walk to the cafeteria with Ben and Angela. Bella is waiting for me outside the door. I instantly begin smiling from ear-to-ear. Angela nudges me and laughs.**_

_**"Bella, hi. Waiting of Romeo?" Angela stops several feet short of Bella. She's accepting but apprehensive. Am I the only person here that doesn't fear the vampires?**_

_**"Actually, I was waiting for all of you. I've been keeping Edward to myself so much. I thought that we would join you and Ben for lunch. That is if you both don't mind." Bella gives me a knowing look.**_

_**"Of course. We'd love it, wouldn't we Ben?" Angela nudges a catatonic Ben on the shoulder.**_

_**"Huh? What?" Earth to Ben; come in Ben.**_

_**"Bella and Edward want to eat lunch with us. What's wrong with you?"**_

_**"What? Nothing. Lunch… yeah… cool." Poor Ben still can't talk around Bella. It would be funny if it weren't so sad. What am I saying? It's funny because it is so sad.**_

_**"Well, I brought soup today, so I'll meet you at the table." We enter the cafeteria and Bella walks to where Ben and Angela usually sit. I can't help but be excited. I know that Bella saw it in Angela's mind. If I had any worries about her not being able to handle this, they are dispelled now. I wonder what she has in the thermos. We get our lunches and sit with Bella. The conversation is easy and light. They ask her questions, but none of them are too personal. Actually Angela asks questions. Ben sits there staring like a dolt. I think he's in shock. At the end of lunch Angela asks Bella to join us again tomorrow and she says yes. We leave for class.**_

_**"Thanks for doing that. Angela really wanted to talk to you." I take Bella's book from her and wrap my arm around her shoulders.**_

_**"I know. She's been trying to get up the courage to ask since last week. I thought I would help her out a little. I like your friends."**_

_**"Thank you. I think they like you too. At least I know that Ben likes to look at you." He stares and it's obvious. Angela is going to murder him if he doesn't stop.**_

_**"Yes, he has quite the imagination."**_

_**What?! "Am I going to have to discipline my best guy friend?"**_

_**"No, it's harmless. He's still in shock. He'll get over it eventually. He's just trying to figure me out."**_

_**"So is Angela," I say. Heck, so am I. I can't figure out how it is that I'm walking with my arm around this beautiful creature.**_

_**"She just wants you to be happy. If I make you happy, then she'll approve."**_

_**"Well, you make me ecstatically happy." I pull her into a quick kiss before we go in the math building.**_

_**"Good, because you make me happy too," she says as she stands on her toes to kiss my cheek.**_

_**I meet Bella at the door of the science building after history class. She smiles and my heart races. She giggles a little, so I know that she heard it. **_

_**We walk into the classroom. Mike is standing at our bench. I stiffen and stop walking. Bella squeezes my hand. "It's alright. He has something to say to you." I look at her skeptically. The last time he had something to say to me he sucker punched me. I really don't want a repeat performance. I walk wearily to our table.**_

_**"Mike," I say as I place our books down. "Is there something that you need?"**_

_**"Yeah. Hi, Bella." His eyes linger on my girlfriend for longer than is necessary.**_

_**"Mike," Bella says, and then she growls. At least, I think she growled. It was low, but I still think that it was a growl.**_

_**"Listen, I'm sorry about last week. It was stupid of me to hit you. It won't happen again," Mike says quickly; too quickly to be sincere. **_

_**"Okay." I don't believe a word of his apology. "Are you going to be weird at work?"**_

_**"No. My mom made it clear that weirdness would not be tolerated. And, Bella, I'm sorry I came on so strong. I don't always take a hint." That's the understatement of the century!**_

_**"It's alright, Mike. Just know that if you do anything like that again, Emmett will be very unhappy." Bella glares at him to re-enforce her veiled threat.**_

_**He shutters slightly. "I understand. I'll see you at work, Edward."**_

_**"Wow, I never thought that would happen. Was it me or was he dripping with insincerity?"**_

_**"His mother made him do it. She threatened to take his car away for a month. If he acts different at work, she's taking it away indefinitely. He would rather have not apologized at all. He still thinks he was right. Don't think that he's suddenly become a nice guy. His friends badgered him into conceding me. He thinks that I'm insane to want to be with you. He's still an imbecile."**_

_**I love having a mind reader for a girlfriend. Just as long as my mind stays silent, that is. "So, how long do you think Good Mike will last?"**_

_**"Not long. Keep your guard up. He'll eventually go back to insulting you."**_

_**"I can handle that. It's like having a battle of wits with an unarmed man. It's too easy."**_

_**She smiles as she takes my hand. "Intelligence is a very attractive thing in a mate."**_

_** After biology class Bella and I walk to the halfway point between the gym and her last class. Ben and Angela are waiting for me there, as usual. We are developing a routine. As I watch Bella walk away, I say to Ben, "You are going to have to stop acting so weird around her. It's embarrassing. You stare at her with your mouth open. You look like a fish. Stop it."**_

_**"Edward, she's like model beautiful. Ow!" he says as Angela smacks him across the back of the head. "Well, she is! I totally lose the ability to think. How do you do it, Man? I'd be too afraid of looking like an imbecile."**_

_**"You can quit being afraid of that; you've already achieved it. Edward's right, you look like an idiot," she reprimands him.**_

_**"Please, Ben, she's important." I don't want my idiot friend to make Bella change her mind about me.**_

_**"How important?" they say in unison.**_

_**I ignore them and walk into the gym. Ben corners me in the locker-room. "How serious are you guys?"**_

_**"How serious are you and Angela?" I ask as I change.**_

_**"We aren't discussing me and the woman of my dreams. We're discussing you and Bella."**_

_**"Who is the woman of my dreams," I say. "I feel the same way about Bella as you feel about Angela."**_

_**"YOU LOVE HER!" he shouts.**_

_**"Geez, man, you don't have to yell it to the world. For God's sake, Ben, calm down." I walk out into the gym with Ben following me. Angela is waiting for us outside.**_

_**"What did you do to him?" She actually looks worried.**_

_**"Nothing. Why?" I turn to look at Ben. He looks fine to me.**_

_**"Look at him. He looks like he's in shock." She is worried.**_

_**"He always looks like that." At least, he has lately.**_

_**"He. Loves. Her," Ben stutters.**_

_**"WHAT!?" Geez, what is it with all the yelling?**_

_**"Leave me alone." I blush and walk to the other side of the gym. Unfortunately they follow. "I said, leave me alone. I mean it guys. I didn't make a big deal out of you two getting together. Don't embarrass me."**_

_**"Does she feel the same?" Leave it to Angela to ask that.**_

_**"Yes. Now back off. Seriously, it isn't a big deal. Let's get this badminton thing over with, okay?" I try to distract them by swinging a racket around. Angela ducks out of the way, but I end up hitting Ben in the back as he tries to move.**_

_**"For the love of God, Ang, get that lethal weapon out of his hands before he kills someone," Bens says as he winces at the pain in his back.**_

_**"Sorry." I hand the racket to Angela. "Please protect me from myself."**_

_**I somehow manage to not kill anyone in gym today. I should never be allowed to wield a racket of any kind. Ben is right to call it a lethal weapon. Bella is waiting for me at the door of the gym. The four of us walk to the parking lot. Ben and Angela wave goodbye and get in Ben's Civic. I see Alice and Jasper standing beside my truck. I look over at Bella in time to see her roll her eyes and look menacingly at Alice. "Annoying little elf," she mutters.**_

_**"What?" I'm confused.**_

_**"You don't have to agree to anything. If you want to say no, then you should say no. I won't be mad and you won't hurt anyone's feelings."**_

_**What is she talking about? I don't really have time to worry too much about it, because Alice sudden launches herself at me. "Edward!" she squeals. I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you at the house on Saturday. I was in a wicked battle on e-Bay. And then, Jasper wanted to go hunting. And when we got back you were asleep. And then, Rose and I had already planned to go shopping on Sunday. And then…"**_

_**"Alice, breathe!" Jasper takes her by the shoulders and pulls her off of me. "Sorry, Edward, this is just how she is. It gets exhausting; even to those of us who don't have the need for sleep."**_

_**"I am not exhausting. You guys just don't have the stamina to keep up. That is not my fault." She puts her hands on her hips and pouts.**_

_**"Go ahead and ask him," Bella says wearily.**_

_**"I already know what he's going to say. Can't I just tell him what he's going to do and be done with it?" Annoying little prognosticator. **_

_**"No, it's rude; ask him. He may surprise you." Bella looks up at me with that sexy, crooked smile.**_

_**"Doubtful! Anyway, Edward, not that this is necessary because you're going to say yes but…," she looks at Bella. "We're having a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon Friday night. Would you please come? You can stay over again."**_

_**I ask Bella, "Should I try to argue with her?" **_

_**"No, arguing with me is pointless," Alice says with confidence.**_

_**"Why Buffy?" It seems like a strange choice, considering.**_

_**"Emmett thinks it's funny." Ah, Emmett. He would find humor in what most people consider a dramatic program.**_

_**"I'll be there." Why argue, right?**_

_**"You don't have to, Edward," Bella assures me.**_

_**"Actually I think I do." I look at Alice. She's hopping from one foot to the other. She's almost vibrating. I can see how living with her would be exhausting. This short conversation has me needing a nap.**_

_**"Then it's settled. You can come over after school." She leapt into my arms again. "Oooo, I'm so excited. Emmett will be thrilled!" She bounces off to the Volvo. Jasper looks back and shrugs at me. He smiles sheepishly as he follows Alice.**_

_**"I apologize for Alice. She's … exuberant." To say the least!**_

_**"It's fine. I like it. She makes me feel included in your family. Emmett does the same." I pull her to me for a long kiss. "And it gives me an excuse to spend the night with you."**_

_**"You spend every night with me, Edward."**_

_**"But this time I might get to wake up with you in my arms."**_

_**"That would be nice," she sighs. "Too bad you have to work today."**_

_**"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm not **_looking forward to work today."

"It'll be fine. Mrs. Newton will be there. He won't do anything with her there to watch him."

"I better go. I'll see you tonight." I kiss her again and get in my truck. I've been dreading this all day. He may have apologized, but we both knew that he wasn't sincere. I don't care what she says, the second Mrs. Newton's back is turned, Mike will do something. I pull into the parking lot at the store. I can see Mrs. Newton behind the counter. Mike isn't here yet. I enter the building and walk to the counter to get my vest. "Hi, Mrs. Newton. How was the weekend?"

"It was a good weekend, Edward. Good sales. How was your weekend?"

"Great! I spent the day with Bella and her family."

"Edward, I want you to know that I won't tolerate Mike being hateful to you. Hitting you was not acceptable to his father and me. You let us know if he does anything that offends you, okay."

"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Newton. I shouldn't have insulted him. As long as he behaves, I'll behave."

"Well, if he doesn't…"

"If he doesn't, I can take care of myself. His comments don't bother me. Hitting me bothered me, but his comments don't. If he hits me again, I'll let you know. I doubt he will though." He's too afraid of Emmett for that.

"Still… we won't tolerate it," she says as Mike walks in the store. He sees us talking and frowns. He walks quickly to the back of the store. He emerges later with his vest on and the broom in his hand.

"Hey, Mom, Edward, I'm going to sweep the aisles." He steps around the counter and goes to the far end of the store.

"You can go on home, Mrs. Newton. I think we'll be fine." I can handle Mike.

"Are you sure, Edward?" She looks at mike skeptically.

"You can't stay here every afternoon. You're going to have to let us deal with this eventually. I can handle your son. Go home; you've been here all day. It's just three hours."

"Well, if you're sure. Mike, I'm going home now. I will be expecting you home directly after you close up. Do you understand?"

Mike nods. When Mrs. Newton leans over to get her purse from under the counter, Mike throws me a dirty look. I smile at him and wave. I can't help myself. I love to antagonize him. I almost hope he does hit me again. Seeing his legs dangling when Emmett put him against that wall was priceless. Mike goes back to sweeping as his mom leaves. I get a rag and start to wipe the counter. I suddenly feel eyes boring into me. I look up to see Mike standing in front of me.

"Hi, Mike. What's up?"

"I'm not giving up. She's too good for you. She should be with me. You're a nobody. I'm captain of the baseball team. I'm co-captain of the football team. Every girl in the school would love to date me."

"Then pick one of the other girls in school. Bella isn't interested in you." I go back to cleaning the counter.

Mike pounds the counter with his fist. It startles me so I jump. I hope he doesn't mistake that for fear, because I am not afraid of him. I slowly look up from the counter and meet his eyes. "Don't do that," I say flatly.

"What are you going to do about it?" he snarls.

"He doesn't have to do anything about it," Emmett says as he and Jasper walk in the door of the store. I smile to myself. "Hey, bro, Esme baked brownies and wanted you to have some. Is this rodent bothering you?"

I look at Mike. He is visibly shaken by Emmett's sudden appearance. I smirk at him and say, "I don't know. Are you bothering me, Mike?"

"N-n-no," he stutters and moves quickly back across the store to finish sweeping the aisles.

"Hey, Emmett. Hey, Jasper," I say loudly. Then I lean toward Emmett and whisper, "How did you know?"

Emmett smiles and whispers back, "Alice." I see Jasper try to hide his laughter. It really is funny. "I hope you and your mom like marble swirl brownies. Esme made enough for a small army. She couldn't wait until you came over Friday to give them to you." I take the box and see where one of them has scratched the label of the bakery off of the box.

I shake my head and smile at the two vampires in front of me. "I'm sure that they're delicious. Tell her thank you and that I can't wait for Friday. Do I need to bring anything?"

"Just yourself and a sleeping bag, bro. We're going to do a camp out in the family room in front of the big screen." I know he said that for Mike's benefit. "We gotta get back. Tell your mom 'Hi' for me."

"Will do, Em, see you tomorrow and thanks again." I hold up the box of brownies, but I know that he understands the double meaning behind my gratitude.

I have no more trouble out of Mike the rest of the night. I get home and give the brownies to Renee. I tell her that Emmett sent them with his love. She mutters something like 'too young' as she takes the box to the kitchen. I survive dinner and finish my homework quickly. I wait anxiously for my angel to enter my room. I don't know if I can sleep anymore without her in my arms. At promptly 10:00 she climbs in the window.

"Hi," she says. Then she cracks that crooked half smile and says, "How was work?" I'm surprised we don't wake Renee with our laughter.


	17. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Sixteen**

Life couldn't be more perfect. Bella and I are happily in love and have been for the past several months. Spring is fast approaching. I usually look forward to the warmer weather, but this year I know that it will bring sunshine. Sunshine means less time with My Bella. _My Bella._ After all these months, I still have to pinch myself. She actually loves me. She actually wants to be with me. It's baffling, and not only to me. Mike is in utter confusion as to why he can't steal Bella from me. He has tried countless times and in countless ways. He insults me in front of her to no end. She of course ignores him. She calls him "the fly", because he's always buzzing around her. He made the mistake of saying something to me at the store when his mother was still there. He didn't know she was within earshot. She took his car away for a month. We all got a kick out of seeing him get off the bus with the freshmen. Jessica and Tyler have started dating, having bonded over their dislike of Mike. This irritates Mike. Now his fall-back is unavailable too. Life couldn't be more perfect.

I am picking up Bella for our usual date on Saturday afternoon. She has finally quit arguing with me about picking her up. I'm more stubborn than she is; once I've made a decision I don't go back on it. I get out of the car and am accosted by Alice. You'd think I'd be used to her hugging me by now. "Edward!" she shrieks. "I'm so glad that you're here! There's going to be a thunderstorm tonight!" she exclaims as she hops from foot to foot. She claps her hands and spins to race to the front door. I shake my head and follow her. I wonder if she was like this as a human.

I get to the door and see Bella. She's watching Alice bounce with a smile. She shakes her head at Alice's back as she disappears up the stairs. "Hi," she says as she crosses the floor to kiss me.

"Hey. I hear that we are in for some bad weather tonight. Should we just stay here and order a movie?" I know that the rain and wind won't bother her, but I don't particularly want to out in severe weather.

"No. We seem to have other plans. We will be playing baseball tonight." She appears to be excited by this prospect. I'm leery at best.

"In the rain?" Again, not wanting to be out in severe weather and really don't want to be out in it holding a metal bat. Can you say lightning rod?

"It won't be raining where we'll be playing," she says confidently.

Well, that's one less thing to worry about, I guess. "Why is the thunderstorm so exciting for, Bouncy?"

"It's the only time we can play. You'll see why."

"I'm confused," I say. "When is this game supposed to start?"

"The storm should roll in around 4:00 if Alice is correct and she usually is on these types of things." Oh yeah, she's always right about the weather and mechanical objects.

"So, we have a couple of hours. Do you still want to have that 'picnic' in the meadow?" I've been looking forward to our "picnic" all week.

"Actually I have a better idea. Let's have our 'picnic' upstairs in my room. I have something I want to show you."

We ascend the two flights of stairs to her room on the third floor. "Close your eyes," she says as we get to her door.

"Bella, please," I roll me eyes at her; I'm not a child and this isn't Christmas morning, "don't be absurd."

"Humor me. Close your eyes." I shake my head but comply. My eyes are closed as she takes my hand and leads me into her room. She takes my shoulders and turns me toward whatever it is I'm not supposed to be looking at yet. "Okay, open your eyes." When I open my eyes I am looking at a very large bed in the center of her room. All of the other furniture has been re-arrange to accommodate it.

"Why do you have a bed in your room? You don't sleep." She doesn't need a bed.

"But you do and I'm tired of having to fit on that sofa. This is better." She looks so satisfied with herself.

"But you don't sleep. This is a useless piece of furniture if I'm not here. I'm sure that the couch is more comfortable for you on those nights."

"Edward, I don't stay here at night. I stay with you at your house. The only time that I'm in this room is when you are in here sleeping. Therefore, this is not a useless piece of furniture."

"Bella, this wasn't necessary…." Why on earth would she buy a bed when she doesn't sleep? It's ridiculous.

"I was the only vampire in this house that didn't have a bed. It's been ninety years; it's time that I had one."

"But they actually use their beds." Emmett tells me more that I should know about him and Rosalie. I sometimes wish that I could take out my brain and wash it to rid myself of the images he puts in my head. I don't want to envision Rosalie that way.

"We'll use this one, just not for the same activity."

I can feel myself not winning this argument. I look at the excited expression on her face and decide to concede this one. She's so happy about this. I smile and take her in my arms. "Okay, you win. This is a very useful piece of furniture. I love it."

"Good. Do you want to lie down and see if it's comfortable?"

"Only if you'll join me." We spend the next hour and a half snuggling and kissing on Bella's new, and very comfortable, bed. I never want to leave it, but nature has other ideas. My stomach growls loudly. We go downstairs so I can fix myself something to eat before the baseball game.

_**Emmett and Rosalie come into the kitchen from upstairs. "Edward, hey bro!" Emmett gets me in a loose head lock and messes up my already unruly hair. I try to push him off, but that's a useless endeavor. I end up just laughing at him. He lets go of me and I push him on the shoulder. He doesn't move.**_

_**"You messed up my hair. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get it to look halfway decent?" I say as I run my hands through it to try to tame it.**_

_**"I think that what I did was an improvement from the bed-head you had when we came in here. By the way, how do you like the new bed?" He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.**_

_**"That's enough, Emmett," Bella says, menacingly.**_

_**"What? I was just wondering if it was comfortable and he enjoyed it." He steps behind Rosalie and pulls her to his chest while doing the eyebrow thing again.**_

_**"Oh, no. You will not use me as a shield. You started this. You're on your own." Rosalie removes herself from Emmett's embrace and moves to stand next to me.**_

_**"Emmett, I won't warn you again." Bella glares at Emmett.**_

_**"What are you going to do, little girl?"**_

_**"Don't push me Emmett. Remember the last time you upset me? I'm sure that Jasper can be convinced to do that again. I am Alice's favorite sister, remember? Do you want to continue that thought?"**_

_**"You don't play fair."**_

_**"He wasn't the only one that was punished by that little trick, remember?" Rosalie says. Whatever Bella convinced Jasper to do it obviously affected Rosalie as well.**_

_**"I work with what I have. Are you finished with the innuendos and those… thoughts?"**_

_**"Yes he is." Rosalie shoots Emmett a look that speaks volumes. It would be in his best interest to drop the subject of the bed. I don't know whose punishment would be worse, but I think both ladies intend on dishing it out if he keeps it up.**_

_**"You're in for it tonight. You are not o**_n my team," he huffs at Bella. "Seriously though, Edward, it's comfortable, ain't it? Rose and I have the same mattress. If I slept, I would sleep like a baby on it."

"Yes, it's great. A bit unnecessary, but great." Bella is definitely going to have to let me know how she punished Emmett before. Whatever she did, it was bad enough that neither he nor Rosalie wants her to do it again.

Alice skips down the stairs with Jasper following her. They have a baseball bat and two balls with them. I see that they're dressed in matching baseball uniforms. "Why aren't you all changed yet?" Alice asks. "I put your uniforms in your closets. I even got you one, Edward."

"Whoa, I do not play baseball. I don't play any sports. Unless Carlisle is prepared to patch me back up tonight, it would be in all of our best interests if I don't get anywhere near a baseball bat." I know that I won't hurt any of them, but it is highly likely that I will hurt myself.

"We know," Emmett says. "Bella has told us about PE." He then erupts in hysterical laughter.

I look over at Bella and frown. "How do you know about PE? You aren't even in there with me."

She looks at me sheepishly. "I may have peeked a little through Angela and Ben. I'm sorry; I was curious. They kept saying things about protecting you and everyone around you." She smiles that crooked smile and looks at me from under her lashes.

"Uh, uh, Cullen, that little dazzling trick won't work this time. It's one thing to 'peek' it's another to tell that nut-job about it," I say gesturing to Emmett. "He's getting way too much enjoyment out of my humiliation. He's not the only one in this room that needs to be punished."

In the blink of an eye Bella is in my arms. "What if I make it up to you later?" she says coyly. She runs her fingernails gently up my spine. I feel my resolve melting away.

"Oh, oh, what do we have here? What kind of reward are we talking about, little sis?"

We turn to Emmett and shout, "Shut-up, Emmett!"

"Everybody, shut-up, and go change. I want to play," Alice whines. She grabs Bella's arm and drags her toward the stairs. "You too, Edward. You may not be playing, but we still need an umpire." We all trudge up the stairs to change. Bella retrieves the clothes from her closet. I take my uniform and go into the bathroom to change. When I come out, Bella is sitting on the bed waiting for me. She looks incredible. I've never thought that baseball uniforms were sexy before, but I am quickly changing my mind.

She stands and I draw in a breath. "Wow, remind me to thank Alice later. You look… you look… well, there are no words for how good you look in that uniform."

She shakes her head. "If I could blush now, Edward, I would. Come on, let's go before I decide to blow off this game and keep you in this room to myself tonight."

"I would not object to that. I'm really not looking forward to this. Hard cylindrical objects and I are not friends." I have distinct and vivid memories of every concussion that I've received from a ball.

"Don't worry, Emmett and I won't let anything happen to you. Let's go before Alice comes up here to get us." We go back downstairs. Everyone is waiting for us in the living room. I see that Alice has even dressed Carlisle and Esme. Bella and I take Emmett's Jeep while everyone else climbs into Carlisle's Mercedes. We drive out of town a little and then Carlisle pulls into a grocery store parking lot. Bella drives on past them.

"Where are we going? Shouldn't we have stopped back there?"

"Everyone else is going to run there from the woods by the store. It will be quicker for them. You and I will drive to the field and park there."

"Getting to these places would be easier if I were a vampire, too," I mutter.

"We aren't having that discussion again tonight, Edward. You know my stance. You aren't the only one that can stubbornly stick to a decision." Bella and I had discussed changing me a couple of months ago. Well, discuss may be the wrong word. I mentioned it and she went ballistic. She is adamant that she will not change me… ever. I don't think that it's practical for me to stay human. We're at a stalemate. I decide to not ruin the evening by pushing the subject.

We ride in silence for a few more miles until she suddenly turns down a trail that I didn't see until we are on it. We drive over extremely rough terrain for what seems like miles. I'm suddenly very thankful for the off-road harness that's holding me in the seat. The forest opens into a clearing and I see the rest of the family warming up. Alice is on the pitcher's mound. She appears to be throwing something to Jasper, but I swear I never see the ball. Jasper catches something in his bare hands. He lobs the ball to Alice and she appears to throw it again. She's launching the ball so fast that I can't even see it! And Jasper is standing back way too far. The batter's box should be a lot closer to the pitcher. This is going to an interesting game.

We walk hand-in-hand toward the others. Esme is the first to greet us. "Edward, I'm so glad you're here tonight. We need an umpire. Emmett cheats."

"I do not," Emmett huffs.

"Yes you do," Rosalie says as she smacks him on the back of the head. "That's why I insist on not being on your team. I don't want to lose because of forfeiture."

Carlisle is pacing off the bases. I may not play baseball, but I did have to learn about it in PE. I know the technical aspects of the game. He's putting the bases too far apart."Bella, shouldn't you tell Carlisle that the bases are too far part?"

She laughs at me. "Edward, this is vampire baseball. With our enhanced strength and speed, we have to modify the rules a bit. It isn't fun the normal way."

"I don't know how to call vampire baseball."

"Just call 'em like you see 'em, bro," Emmett says as he walks by and musses my hair again. I frown and try to fix it back. I really wish he wouldn't do that.

"In our rules, if you don't hit the ball, then it's a strike. Catching the ball in the outfield is not an automatic out. You have to throw the ball to the base that the runner is about to hit and someone has to tag them out," Esme explains. "The rest of the rules are about the same. Just do your best. It's just a game and we play for fun."

"Speak for yourself," Rosalie mutters.

"Okay, the rest of us play for fun. Rosalie plays to win. How are we dividing teams tonight?" Esme asks Alice.

"I see that it will be boys against girls," she says as she dramatically presses her fingertips to her temples.

"Why not make it blondes against brunettes?" Rosalie asks.

"Because if we do the wave, you'll all drown and we won't have anyone to play against," Bella says as she doubles over laughing.

"That's the dumbest blonde joke ever told," Rosalie says.

"You should know a thing or two about dumb," Alice chimes in, sending Esme and Bella into hysterics.

"That settles it. I refuse to be on their team, too. It's blondes against brunettes. Jasper, Carlisle, let's huddle up." The Blonde Team goes to the far end of the field while the Brunette Team continues to laugh themselves silly.

Esme is standing next to me shaking her head at her family. I say to her, "Doesn't it bother Rosalie that they're outnumbered? Won't it be hard to win with a four to three split?"

"Oh, honey, I don't play. I never have really enjoyed the game. I like watching my family enjoy themselves, but I don't want to participate."

"You usually umpire, don't you?" I have just realized that I am taking Esme's job from her. I feel really guilty about it. "You should do it tonight, too. I don't understand all of the rules."

"Let's both call it. Two eyes sets of eyes are always better than one," she says as she puts her arm around my shoulders and leads me to home plate. Carlisle and Emmett meet on the pitcher's mound for the coin toss. Emmett looks disappointed as he heads toward home plate. Bella walks to the outfield and Alice takes the pitcher's mound. Rosalie picks up the bat and begins to practice her swing.

A few minutes later I hear a rumble of thunder. Alice's head pops up and she says, "It's time." Rosalie steps into the batter's box. Alice launches the ball at her. Rosalie swings and connects with the ball. A noise slightly less loud than a sonic boom erupts from the bat.

Suddenly I understand. "That's why you guys need the thunder." I watch the ball fly past Bella. "That's a homerun, right?" I say to Esme.

"Not necessarily. Bella's very fast."

Rosalie in rounding third and heading for home. At the speed of light, the ball flies across the field into Emmett's hands. Rosalie slides, but Emmett already has the ball. He tags her. "Out," I say. Rosalie stands and growls softly in my face. I take a step back.

Emmett comes up behind her and kisses her on the neck. "Hey, babe, it's just a game."

Rosalie retreats after giving me a rather nasty stare down. I think it's more than a game to her. Carlisle is up next. He pulls a Babe Ruth and points to the outfield with the bat. I look to Bella. She's shaking her head as she backs up. Another sonic boom and Carlisle starts around the bases. He gets to third and decides to stop, since Emmett is standing at home plate tossing the ball from hand to hand and smiling. He throws it back to Alice as Jasper steps up to the plate.

"Bring me home, son," Carlisle calls to Jasper. He nods and takes his stance. Bella starts walking forward with a smirk on her face.

"Hey, no fair, you're using your power," Jasper yells as he steps out of the batter's box.

"What's going on?" I ask Esme.

"Well, apparently Jasper had a strategy planned and Bella read it in his mind. He was probably going to keep the ball in the infield and that's why she was walking forward. It really isn't fair for her to do it." Esme walks into the infield. "Bella, Jasper is right. It's unfair. Same goes for you Alice. No powers or you forfeit."

"Come on, Mom," Bella says. "I can't help it. It's not like I can turn it off."

"Carlisle, go home. The Blondes get a run for the arguing. I suggest you try harder to 'turn it off'," Esme says. She walks back to me as Carlisle and Jasper high five each other. I look at Emmett. He's pouting. This really is a lot of fun!

Jasper steps back up to the plate and Alice fires the ball at him. It sails past Bella. She doesn't turn to get it. She's staring at Alice, who has suddenly gotten very rigid. Her eyes have glassed over. Suddenly, she yells, "Stop!" Bella is already at her side. The others except for Esme meet on the pitcher's mound. Less than a second later Bella is at my side.

She grabs my arm and starts to drag me toward the Jeep. "Let's go." She looks angry.

Carlisle catches up to us and stops Bella. "There isn't enough time," he says as he places a hand on her shoulder.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Bella turns to me and says, "I shouldn't have brought you here. This was a bad idea."

"What's going on?" Someone needs to tell me what's happening.

Emmett appears behind me and says, "Nomads. Alice just had a vision of three nomadic vampires heading this way. They aren't like us."

"I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't see. They heard us playing, but they didn't make up their minds until it was too late. Bella, please forgive me. I should have seen." She drops her head to her chest. Jasper pulls her into his chest and holds her.

"What do we do now?" I realize that I shouldn't be here with these nomads, but Carlisle says that it's too late to leave. What should we do?

"We find out what they want," Carlisle says. "Edward, you stay behind Bella and Esme. Keep your head down. Don't make eye contact with them. Your eyes will be a dead giveaway. Emmett, Jasper and I will take the lead. Rosalie and Alice will be the second line." He looks up at the sky. "Please, Lord, give us a calm wind."

We all walk slowly toward the area of the forest that Alice indicates and wait. I count to thirty to myself. Suddenly, three very different looking vampires emerge from the woods. I look down quickly. I hunch my shoulders and try to hide behind Esme. Bella reaches back to take my hand. Her expression hasn't changed. She's angry, but I don't think she's angry at me. Surely she's not angry with herself. This isn't her fault. She didn't know.

"Good evening. I am Laurent and this is Victoria and James." Laurent is holding the baseball. "Does this belong to you?" he asks as he holds it out to Carlisle.

"Yes, thank you. I'm Carlisle and this is my family." Carlisle gestures to the rest of us. I look at Bella. She's staring at the female. Her eyes narrow.

These vampires look nothing like the Cullens. Laurent is short and stocky. He has on a pair of ripped jeans and a leather vest that is open to show his muscular chest. James is taller and less stocky with dirty blond hair. He too wears ripped jeans, but he has on a leather jacket; also no shirt. The female, Victoria, has fire red hair that flows in loose waves down her back. There are leaves and twigs tangled in it. She has on flared jeans and a t-shirt that is knotted at the waist. All three have bare feet. I glance up briefly and see that they have blood red eyes. I shudder involuntarily. Bella squeezes my hand, so I look back at the ground. I say a silent prayer that they will leave so we can get out of here.

"Do you have room for three more players?" Laurent asks.

"Actually, I think we were finished," Carlisle says as he glances at Emmett. Emmett nods in agreement.

"Come on, just one game. We so very rarely run into our own kind. I have a wicked curve ball." I bet that isn't the only wicked thing about him. These vampires scare me. I really want them to leave so Bella and I can go.

"Well, maybe just one game. A few of us were leaving. You can take their place." They all turn to go back toward the field except for Bella, Esme, Victoria, and myself. I glance out of the corner of my eye at Victoria. She's eyeing Bella and me suspiciously. Bella isn't moving. She's glaring back at Victoria.

Suddenly the wind shifts and blows directly into Victoria's face. She inhales a deep breath. "Ah. You've brought a snack," she says as she takes a step toward me. Bella and Esme jump in front of me in attack positions. The rest of the Cullens join them in guarding me. I take a step back. I'm terrified. James and Laurent are glaring at the Cullens, but Victoria's eyes haven't left me. A sickening smile forms on her lips. I shudder and look away.

Laurent is the first to straighten out of the attack position. He touches Victoria's arm and gives her a look. She and James stand up. Laurent says, "I believe that the fun and games are over. We'll go now. Victoria. James." They turn to go. Victoria links arms with James and looks back at me over her shoulder. Bella steps in front of me a growls loudly.

"Bella, Emmett," Carlisle says, "get in the Jeep and get Edward out of here, now." Bella grabs my arm and drags me to the Jeep. Emmett is already there in the driver's seat. Bella opens the back passenger door and pushes me in.

"Buckle up," she orders as she gets in the passenger seat. "Go, Emmett." Emmett stomps the accelerator throwing me back against my seat. We tear a path through the woods. We get to the highway and Emmett turns right instead of left.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"Away from Forks. We have to get you out of here." Bella has a panicked look in her eyes. She actually looks terrified. What did she see in Victoria's mind?

"No. We have to go back. Renee will freak out. She'll call the cops. You have to take me back home." We can't just leave.

"No. You can't go home. We have to get you far away from here now." She turns to Emmett and says something in a voice too low for me to hear.

"Bella…"

"Edward, no! You didn't hear what she was thinking. Victoria is a tracker. The way I acted toward you tipped her off. I just made this the most exciting game of her existence. She wants you. We have to get you away from here. We have to hide."

"We can't leave Renee. She could be killed because of this. You have to take me back. We can figure out a way to throw Victoria off the trail." There has to be another way.

Bella rubs her temples with the thumb and middle finger of her right hand. "No, Edward. There's no way to throw her off. She wants you for more than a meal. She wants _you._ She's planning on taking you, changing you, killing James and taking you as her new mate. We have to hide you. I won't take any chances with your life. End of discussion."

"No, Bella, we can't leave like this. Renee will lose it. Your family will be implicated." I pause and a thought hits me. What if there's a way for me to get out of town without Renee freaking out and calling the cops? What if there's a reason for me to leave that doesn't implicate the Cullens? "I have an idea that may work."


	18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Seventeen**

"This is not open for debate, Edward," Bella says flatly. "I'm getting you as far away from here as I possibly can. You and I will go somewhere together and hide."

"And do what? Run for the rest of my life. I don't think so. Pull over, Emmett." He glances quickly at Bella. "Emmett, pull over or I'm going to open the door and jump out. It will very likely kill me. Is that what you want, Bella?"

"You're bluffing," she says as she turns to look at me. She's still looking at me when she says to Emmett, "He's bluffing."

"Try me." I meet her stare. I'm not bluffing. We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. Her eyes narrow and I feel my head start to swim. "You can try to do that all you want, you can't get in here," I say as I tap my temple with my finger.

"Fine," she huffs. "You're being unreasonable." She turns to Emmett, "Pull the Jeep over, but be ready to get out of here quick. Victoria has been tailing us and she's not far." We get to the side of the road and both vampires turn to me. "Okay, Edward, what's your idea?"

"I go to Phoenix to look for Charlie." It seems so simple to me. I tell Renee that I've found Charlie on the internet and I'm going to meet him. I look smugly at Bella, but she looks confused. "You take me back to my house and I make a big show of it. I tell Renee that I found Charlie's address on the internet and that I'm driving to Phoenix to meet Charlie. She'll try to stop me and we'll get in a fight. I'll storm out and drive back to your house. She won't call the cops and your family won't be implicated in my disappearance."

"It could work," Emmett says. Bella looks at him like she could kill him. He shrugs and turns to look out the windshield.

"I don't know," Bella mumbles. She looks past me out the rear window. "We should move."

"Turn the Jeep around, Emmett," I say. He looks to Bella. She nods her assent, so Emmett makes a u-turn and we head back into Forks. Bella takes out her phone. A second later she's telling someone to drive my truck to my house and wait for her and Emmett thee. Bella lets out a low growl at one point. Emmett hits the gas and we suddenly lurch forward. I really don't want to know how fast we're going. We pass the grocery store where the Mercedes was parked; it's gone now. We make it through town faster than normal. We're suddenly in front of my house. My truck is already there. Now that it appears that I'm going to do this, I don't know if I can.

Bella turns to me. "You have five minutes. I'll meet you in your room." I get out of the Jeep. I turn before going into the house and take another look at Bella. "Go," she says. "Renee is sleeping. You'll have to wake her. Be quick; we have to hurry." She and Emmett are both scanning the area.

I run to the porch and slam loudly into the house. I run up the stairs, making sure to hit all of the squeaky stairs along the way. I slam my door. I hear Renee get up. Bella is already in my room packing my duffle bag. "Renee is coming down the hall. Stop her before she comes in here. I'll meet you in your truck." She pushes the duffle bag into my arms and leaps out of the window. I turn and open the door. I push past Renee and go into the bathroom.

"Edward, what the heck…" Renee is rubbing her eyes as she follows me into the bathroom.

"I have to go." I throw my toiletries into the bag. _Please just let me go. Please don't make me say something I'll regret._

"Go? Go where?" She yawns and steps quickly out of my way.

"I'm going to Phoenix." I run down the stairs and amazingly enough don't kill myself.

"You most certainly are not." Renee grabs my arm to stop me. I jerk out of her grasp. She's going to make me do this the hard way.

"Mom, I found Charlie. I found his address on the internet. I'm going." I reach for the door.

Renee reaches out and puts her hand on the door. "How do you know if it's the right Charles Dwyer?"

"It was the _only_ Charles Dwyer," I say and hope that for one time in my life I can lie convincingly to Renee.

"Wait. Sleep on it. If you still want to go for spring break, I'll buy us plane tickets and we'll both go." It's a reasonable request. Any other time, I would have agreed to it.

"No. I don't want to wait. I'm going now. Please, Mom, let me go." I push her arm off of the door.

"Edward, I'm your mother and I refuse to let you leave this house." She crosses her arms and looks at me sternly.

I really didn't want it to come to this. I'm going to have to hurt her or she'll never let me leave. I take a deep breath. _Please, Lord, let me be able to do this convincingly and please let her forgive me someday._ "Renee, you really don't need to throw the 'mother card' right now. Gran raised me until she died and after that I had to take over and fend for myself. Your self-centeredness makes it impossible for you to be a good mother. You only think of yourself. That was extremely evident when you left Charlie without telling him about me. It's time that he knew. I _am_ going to Phoenix. I _am_ leaving tonight. Let me go." I hate the expression on her face. I can't stand to look at her like this. I open the door and run out to my truck. I start the ignition. I slam it in reverse. I have to go now, before I go back to apologize.

Bella suddenly appears at the door of the truck. "Move over. I'll drive." I move across the seat as she slides effortlessly into the cab. We don't even swerve. "She'll forgive you."

"No, she won't. I called her a bad mother. I told her she's selfish. I hurt her. She'll never get over it. I'll never get over it. I can't believe I could even say it." My head falls into my hands. I'll never forgive myself. I feel like a horrible person. Only a horrible person could say such things to their mother.

"You had to. She would never have let you go otherwise." Bella is staring out the windshield. I look behind us.

"Is she out there?" I ask.

"Yes. She heard you and Renee. Emmett and Alice are behind us in the Jeep. When we get to the house, we'll discuss our next move."

"Won't she hear us?" One thing I've noticed about vampires is that they can hear a whisper from three rooms away.

"She'll only hear what we want her to hear. Carlisle has an idea." She turns my truck into their driveway. She pulls around to the garage and parks my truck behind it. We get out and run into the house. As we get to the patio, Carlisle opens the door. Bella grabs my arm and pulls me behind her. She growls loudly as she takes a defensive position. Laurent is standing in the living room.

"Bella," Carlisle says as he steps into the open door, "Laurent came to warn us. He's no threat to Edward."

Bella looks closely at Carlisle. She relaxes her position, but keeps herself between me and Laurent as we enter the house. She eyes him suspiciously. "What did he have to say?" she asks Carlisle.

"This is not my fight," Laurent answers. "I grow weary of her games. I have no desire to hurt your 'family'. Your lifestyle intrigues me."

Bella eyes Carlisle questioningly. Her eyes narrow as she turns to Laurent. "Then leave now and go to Denali. Carlisle has already told you that that would be the best place for you."

"Yes, I believe he is right. I will go, but you should know that Victoria is dangerous. She and James together are lethal. She will not stop. Once she sets her mind on having a human she will stop at nothing. James is her fourth 'mate'. He doesn't know and is completely loyal to her. He may not have her tracking abilities, but he is intelligent and resourceful. He will do anything to please her. Do not underestimate him." Laurent turns to Carlisle and shakes his hand. "Good luck to you all. You will need it." He turns and leaves the house at vampire speed.

Bella, Carlisle and I enter the dining room. Everyone else is already there. I see note pads and pens.

Carlisle takes a pad and writes: _Don't talk. Write what you want us to know._

Bella: _She thinks we're bluffing about Phoenix._

Carlisle: _Are we?_

Alice: _No. We should go to Phoenix. She won't suspect._

Bella: _Rosalie, Emmett, put on Edward's shirts and run north to throw her off. I'll take Edward in my car to Phoenix._

Carlisle: _No. Victoria knows that you would never leave Edward. You go with Rosalie and Emmett._

Bella: _NO! I'm going with Edward._

Edward: _It's a good idea. We should separate. Throw her off my trail._

Alice:_ Jasper and I will take him to Phoenix. We'll keep him safe._

Carlisle: _Bella, it's really the best way. They can take my car. The windows are the darkest._

Bella: _We should say something, she's getting suspicious._

"Bella, you and Edward go north to Alaska. The rest of us will head into town to search for Victoria. Esme, go to Edward's house and guard Renee," Carlisle says loudly. We all run back out into the garage. Bella opens my bag and throws a shirt and my jacket at Emmett. He puts them on and gets in Bella's Volvo. Alice and Jasper get in Carlisle's Mercedes.

Bella takes my hands. "We'll take care of this. Don't worry. I love you."

"Please be safe, all of you. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any of you." I pull Bella into my arms.

"Oh, Edward, don't worry about that. There are five of us and two of them. Nothing is going to happen to any of us," Esme says.

I nod to Esme and then kiss Bella on top of the head. "Please be careful. I love you."

"Edward, you are my life now." She kisses me with more passion than I thought possible. When we part, I look into her eyes. _Please, God, don't let anything happen to my family._ She turns and gets in her car. The Volvo tears out of garage going north, with Emmett in the passenger seat. He has the hood of my jacket on his head and is slumped over in the seat. I hope that Victoria falls for it. Carlisle pushes me toward the Mercedes. I get in and lie down in the back with Emmett's coat over me. Esme leaves on foot to go guard Renee. Carlisle gets in the BMW with Rosalie and they race out of the garage toward town. Jasper takes a breath before he hits the accelerator and flies out of the garage heading south. How I hope this works.

*****

I must have fallen asleep, because when I open my eyes everything outside the window is brown and the light is very bright. I rub my eyes and yawn. Where are we? How long have we been driving?

"Morning, sleepyhead," Alice says as she turns around to face me. "Did you rest well?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. Where are we?" I look out the window. It looks very different from Forks.

"We're in Arizona. We're going to find a hotel near Sky Harbor International and check in. We can wait there for Bella to call." Wow, Arizona is brown and bright. As I look out the window, I can't for the life of me understand shy Renee would want to live here. I already miss the green of Forks.

"Why near the airport?" Is there something I should know?

"Just in case," Alice says with a smile.

"In case of what?" I look at her suspiciously.

She smiles sweetly and says, "Just in case."

"Can't you see?" I ask, trying to trick her into telling me something.

She frowns. "Everyone keeps changing their minds. And I'm trying to watch everyone. Renee is debating coming here and dragging you back by your hair. So far, Victoria is following Bella and Emmett, but James is sticking around town. He keeps changing his plans. I think he and Victoria are in contact, but I can't tell."

"So everyone is still okay?" _Please say yes._

"Edward, you really shouldn't worry about that," she says as she turns back to the front of the car. What else am I supposed to worry about? I heard what Laurent said. Victoria and James are dangerous. What if they kill one of us? What if Victoria kills Bella? How can I not worry about my family?

Jasper pulls under the awning at the Candlewood Suites hotel. Alice hops out and runs into the building. Jasper turns around to face me. "You're wrong. You are worth it."

"What?"

"You've been feeling that you aren't worth all of the trouble you're causing, but you're wrong. You are worth it. I've never felt love coming off two people like I feel coming off of you and Bella. If it wasn't so beautiful, it would be too much to handle. You have changed us all, Edward. Everyone is so much happier now that you are in our lives. We have hope for the first time in any of our existences. Hope that maybe we aren't as doomed as we thought we were. Even Rosalie is happy for a change; less of a moody… well, you know. You are a blessing to this family, so never, ever think that you are not worth it."

I don't know what to say. I nod and tell him thank you. He smiles and says, "No, thank you, Edward."

Alice appears at the door with room keycards. Jasper drives around to the parking deck and parks in the lowest level. I grab my duffle bag and we get in the elevator. Alice has gotten us a suite on the fifth floor. When we get inside, Jasper goes to all of the windows and pulls the drapes shut. Alice calls downstairs and suspends the maid service indefinitely. "Edward, are you hungry? You should eat." I'm not really hungry, but she's right. I walk over to her and point to the cheeseburger on the room service menu. I go to the bathroom and shut the door. I sit of the edge of the bathtub and let my face fall into my hands. How did all of this happen? How did my perfect life suddenly get so messed up? I so want Bella to call. I need to hear her voice. I need to know that she's alright. I understand why she isn't calling. I understand why I can't call her, but it doesn't stop me from needing to hear her.

I hear a soft tap on the door. I get up from my pity party and open it. Alice is standing there looking concerned. "Hi," I say. "Is the food here?" I push past her into the living room of the suite. Jasper has turned on the television. I see the room service tray on the table in the kitchenette. I take the top off of the plate and stare at the cheeseburger and fries.

I must have been staring longer than I thought, because Jasper is suddenly at my side with his hand on my shoulder. A feeling of extreme calm comes over me. I sit at the table and begin to eat. It takes me a minute to figure out that Jasper just pulled his voodoo on me and that this feeling of being relaxed isn't real. He must have sensed my change in feelings because he lets out a grunt and says, "Bella is right about you. You're smarter than we give you credit for being."

"I'll make a deal with you, Jasper. You let me feel upset, uncomfortable, scared, worried, and all the other emotions I'm having until you can't stand it anymore. When it gets to be too much for you to handle, then do your stuff. Until then, I'd kind of like to have normal emotions about the situation."

"But, Edward, you don't have to be so upset and worried. I can help you." He stands and walks toward me.

"No, Jasper. The feelings I'm having are normal. I should be worried about the family. I should be scared for their safety. I should be upset that I have put you all in danger. I should be uncomfortable being this far away from Bella. It's normal. Unless you can't handle it, or if I ask you to help, just let me feel this."

Jasper starts to protest. Alice places her hand on his arm and he nods his head. "Okay, you're right. I'll behave unless you ask… or it gets to be too much for me to handle." He goes back the couch and television.

"Thank you, both of you. I know that it's hard for you to be away from the family. I appreciate all that you have done for me so far and all that you'll most likely do in the future. And thanks for the cheeseburger, Alice, it's delicious… really."

Alice launches herself across the room and throws her arms around me. I don't flinch like I usually do. I kind of expect it this time. Truthfully, I need a hug. I'm so scared and worried. I need to feel someone's reassuring arms around me. I hug her back and smile. She and Jasper are my family now and I love them.

"Okay, let me go, Bouncy. I want to finish this burger and then I want to lie down for a little while. I'm really tired." She pecks me on the cheek and returns to Jasper on the couch. I finish my dinner. I decide a shower would be great, so I get my bag and go into the bathroom.

After my shower, I go into the bedroom to lie down. Less than a minute later I hear a soft knock on the door. "Come in, Alice, I'm still awake," I say, barely above a whisper. I know she'll hear me.

"Hi," she says. "Can I lie down with you?"

"Are you sleepy?" I joke to her.

"No, I just feel like lying down with you. Is it okay?"

"Sure." I scoot over and give her the side of the bed nearest the door. She lies down and laces her hands behind her head. I hear her sigh, so I look over at her. "Alice, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Edward, anything," she says as she turns her head to look at me.

"How does one become a vampire?" Bella refuses to tell me and I really want to know.

"Anything but that." She turns to look back at the ceiling.

"Why?" It can't be that big of a secret.

"Bella asked me to not tell you about that." That explains it. Why doesn't she want me to know?

"Last time I checked, Bella wasn't here." I nudge her in the arm, forgetting that she's basically made of stone. That's going to bruise. I rub my elbow and say. "Come on, Alice, I won't tell her you told me."

"She'll know. It was the last thing she said to me before we left. She told me to keep my thoughts to myself. She'll tear my head off, literally, if I tell you. I really can't."

"What did she mean by that?"

"I've seen something, Edward. Bella doesn't like it. She keeps trying to change it, but it never changes. I keep seeing the same thing again and again."

"What do you see?"

"I see you… like us. I see you and Emmett with your arms on each other's shoulders and your eyes are red."

I sit straight up in the bed. "_You see me as a vampire and I feed on humans?!_" That can't be right. I would never!

Alice laughs and sits up, putting her hand on my back. "No, Edward. All newborn vampires have red eyes. It takes anywhere from six months to a year for the color to change. Your body has to use up all of your own blood before you get golden eyes like ours. Calm down." She laughs again as she lies back down with her hands behind her head again.

"Oh thank, God," I say as I lie back down too. "So, since I'm going to be one, don't you think I should know how I become a vampire?" I know I'm pushing, but I really want to know.

"I agree. Bella is wrong this time. It's really not that big of a deal. You just have to be bitten by a vampire."

"That sounds too simple." There has to be more to it or the whole world would be populated by vampires.

"Well, very few of us have the self control to bite and stop. Most of us bite and then drain. It takes a phenomenal amount of self control to not kill the person you bite."

"Did Carlisle change you too?"

"No, I don't know who changed me. I don't remember being human. I woke up in the woods in Georgia a vampire. I probably would have lost my mind if I hadn't seen Carlisle and his family and of course Jasper. I knew that Jasper would find me and that we would find the Cullens and then everything would be alright. I don't even remember the change. I guess that's a blessing."

"Why is it a blessing?"

"Well, from what I'm told, it's excruciating. Rosalie says that it feels like you're on fire from the inside. Apparently you 'burn' like that for three days before your heart stops. Then the bloodlust is overwhelming. All you want for at least a year is human blood. I didn't have that experience either. I knew from my vision that I should feed on animal blood, but most newborns can't be around people for a long time. It's not a pleasant first year, from what I'm told."

"We wouldn't be having this little problem if she would just change me and get it over with," I mutter. Why does she have to be so stubborn?

"No, Edward, this isn't the life that Bella wants for you. She couldn't do it anyway. You're her singer, she'd never be able to stop. I know that we look happy with this existence, but there isn't a single one of us that wouldn't give anything to be human again."

"Hmm, I guess. Thank you for telling me. It gives me something to think about. Have you seen anything else today? About… you know?"

"Victoria is still following Bella and Emmett north. She hasn't figured it out yet. James is watching your house, waiting for you to call Renee. Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie are there too, watching James. It's kind of a standoff right now. That's all I've seen so far."

"Will you tell me if it changes?"

"Yes." She gets up and walks to the door. "You should sleep. I'll come get you if I see anything new."

"Alice, thanks. I love you guys."

"We love you too, Edward. Get some rest."

I lie in the bedroom for a long time thinking about everything that Alice has told me. I'm going to be one of them. I'm going to be with Bella forever. If she knows this, then why is she so adamant about not changing me? She should just go ahead and get it over with. End this situation that way. If she can't do it, then let Carlisle do it. This is ridiculous.

I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I know the bedroom door flies open. Alice is in the threshold. "She figured it out. She knows that you aren't with Bella. She's going back to Forks." Thirty seconds later Alice's phone rings. "Bella, she knows."


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Eighteen**

"She figured it out and doubled back to Forks. That's all I've got so far. She hasn't made any decisions." I motion for Alice to give me the phone. She holds up a finger and turns her back. "I don't think we should do anything until we know her plans." I step back in front of her and motion with a little more insistence to give me the phone. She scowls at me and turns around. "Uh huh. I know. I will. As soon as I see something." I step in front of her and grab her shoulders. I mouth 'Give me the phone.' She mouths 'Wait.' I am going to be the first human to ever rip a vampires head from her shoulders. "I think they're still in contact because I don't see him at Renee's anymore. Oh, really?" I turn to Jasper for help. He gets up and walks over to Alice. He leans down and whispers something in her other ear. "Bella, Edward is having a come apart to talk to you. Do you want to talk to him right now?" I'm going to hurt her. She shoves the phone at me. "Here, but don't hang up. I'm not finished."

"Bella," I breathe into the phone. "Are you okay? Is everyone alright? What's going on?" Heaven only knows how much I miss her.

"Edward, love, calm down. Is Jasper not taking care of you?" Her velvet voice sounds so sweet.

"I told him to stop doing that… thing he does. It's not normal to be calm when your world is in danger. Now, tell me what's going on? What's our next move?" What do I have to do to get back to you?

"Carlisle, Emmett, and I are getting the first flight out to Phoenix and then you and I are going to go somewhere far away for a little while. The others will track down Victoria and James. They'll take care of them and we'll come back."

"We can't just disappear, Bella. If I never come back home and you suddenly leave, Renee will know something is up. I agree with Alice. Let's wait to see what Victoria's next move will be. You should all stay there and take care of her and James. Then we can come back."

"I don't know how much longer I can be away from you. It physically hurts, love. I need to feel your arms around me. I need to kiss your lips," she says, longingly.

"I feel the same way, but there are more people involved in this than just you and me. Our family can't be implicated in my disappearance." I can't be a selfish child about this. Too many lives could be ruined because of this.

"Our family?" I can almost see her smile through the phone.

"Well, yeah," I blush. "You guys are my family; all of you. I love you guys. I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you."

"Oh, Edward, I love you so much. You don't know how happy I am that you feel that way. I know that they all love you too. You're right. We'll wait until Alice knows what Victoria has planned before we make another move. Could you put her back on the phone?"

"Sure." I turn to motion for Alice to come get the phone, but she's already at my shoulder.

"Edward?" Bella says. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Here's Alice." She tears the phone from my hand. I walk over to the couch and sit down by Jasper. He looks at me and smiles. "How are you holding up?" I ask him.

"Better now. You?"

"You tell me."

"You're better now that you've talked to Bella. You're not as worried. You feel calmer after hearing her voice. Since you're better, I'm better. Truthfully, I was almost at the point of having to do something. It was at the brink of overwhelming. I'm glad she called."

"Me, too. I was almost at the point of letting you do your stuff. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to her." I lean my head back on the couch. Bella is my world. I don't think I can exist without her.

"She'll be fine. We _all_ will be fine. Like Esme said, they're outnumbered. We'll take care of it. Don't worry." He pats me shoulder reassuringly.

"Sure, sure. So simple. 'Don't worry about your reason for existing, Edward.' I'd like to see you stay calm if Alice was in danger.

"Okay, I get your point. I'll shut up now."

I hear Alice close the phone. I turn to see her walking toward us. She takes a step and her eyes glass over. She takes another step and they clear up. This goes on the whole time she is making her way to the couch.

"Are you alright, Alice?" I ask as she sits.

"Yes, why do you ask?" She looks at me, puzzled.

"You just looked strange as you walked over here. Did you see something?"

"Yes, kind of. Maybe. I don't know. It keeps changing. One second they're coming here to look for you, the next they're attacking the others. They considered kidnapping Bella and demanding her tell them where you are, but they decided that they were too outnumbered for that. It's annoying. They haven't settled on anything. And then there's Renee; she's all over the place too. She's seen Esme and Rosalie outside a couple of times, but thinks that she's imagining it. If I could get a headache, I probably would."

Jasper puts his arm around her and hugs her to his side. Seeing them makes me miss Bella even more. I want to hold her like that. "Alice, should I call Renee and calm her down? Do you think that would help your 'headache'?"

"Um, I don't know. Maybe." She sits up and appears to concentrate. "I don't see it hurting anything. Go ahead, but use your cell. It won't show where you are."

I go to the bedroom to get my phone. I had turned it off so that I wouldn't have to put up with Renee calling every five minutes. As it comes back on I see that I have twenty-five messages. I call into voicemail; my mailbox is full. I play the first message. It's Renee and she is MAD. I groan and delete it. As I make it through the rest of Renee's messages (Yes they are all from her.), I notice that she doesn't sound as angry. She starts pleading with me to come home by the last message. She tells me that she forgives me and admits that I was right about her. She cries; my heart breaks. I'm a horrible son. I lie back on the bed to regain my composure. I have to call her. I take a deep breath and hit the speed dial for home.

"Edward!" Renee screams into the phone. "Where are you? Are you alright? Are you coming home? Edward, are you there?"

"Mom, calm down. I'm fine. I'm in Phoenix, just like I said I would be. It's okay. I'll be home soon, I promise." She sounds so upset, but not angry.

"Have you met Charlie?" Now she sounds worried.

"No, not yet. I'm trying to figure out how to do it." Truthfully, I'm trying to figure out how to survive the mess I've gotten myself and the Cullens into. Meeting Charlie is the last thing I want to do right now. Maybe later, but not now.

"He's a wonderful person, Sweetie. You're so much like him. It goes past the looks. Your have his heart. I was so stupid to leave him. I'm so sorry, Edward. You were right, I'm a horrible mother."

"Mom, I should never have said that. I didn't mean it. I'm the one that should be apologizing to you. I was trying to make you angry so I could leave. You're a wonderful mother. I'm so sorry." I am a horrible person. I feel sick. She's crying again. I hate for her to cry, especially when I'm the reason. "Mom, please don't cry. I'll be home soon. Just a few more days; I promise." How I hope I can keep that promise.

"Where are you staying, Baby?"

"In a hotel." Yeah, like I'd give any detailed information with two vampires outside listening in. "Don't worry about me, Mom; I can take care of myself."

"I know. But, I'm still your mother. It's my God given right and duty to worry about you."

"Try not to, okay? I'm fine. I'll be home soon." I hope we can take care of this mess and go home soon. Phoenix is too brown and hot… and sunny.

"Bella came by yesterday. She apologized for helping you find Charlie. I was a little put out by that, but she's such a sweetheart that I couldn't stay mad at her. She's worried about you too. You should call her and let her know that you're alright."

If she only knew. "I will. I'm going to go now, Mom. Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'll call you later."

"I love you, Edward. Be careful and come home to me soon."

"I will and I love you too, Mom. Bye." I walk back out into the living room. Alice is hunched over the coffee table and she appears to be drawing something. Jasper has his arm around her shoulders. He looks up as I walk into the room. He looks upset… worried. I suddenly feel very worried. I rush to the couch and look over Alice's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Alice thinks that they have made a decision. She's not sure, but they may be coming here. She doesn't recognize where they are. It's strange. The room is full of different shapes and there's glass everywhere. It's confusing. She's trying to get it on paper." He motions to the sheet of paper on the coffee table.

"Should we call Bella?" I open my phone and get ready to dial.

"Yes!" Alice suddenly exclaims. "Call Bella, now! She needs to be on a plane here, like yesterday. I should have seen this sooner. They just wouldn't make a decision. She needs to be here now!"

Jasper grabs his phone and hits the speed dial. Bella answers on the first ring. "Bella, they're coming here." He looks confused and then angry. "What? No, no. You're right. Bring Emmett and Carlisle. We'll see you in a couple of hours." He closes the phone.

"Jasper, what's wrong?"

"They're already in Seattle at the airport," Jasper explains. "They have a flight out in 30 minutes. Victoria has evidentially been in contact with someone that knows about Bella's gift. Victoria has been blocking her thoughts since yesterday. Bella went by your house and noticed that Victoria's scent was gone, but James' was still there. He's not as good at hiding his thoughts. She got it from him that Victoria is on her way here. She got a flight out this morning. We're now a step behind."

"Who could have told her?" I don't understand. No one else in Forks knows about the Cullens' 'differences.'

"Oh, crap, Laurent. We sent him to Alaska. The cousins must have told him." Alice drops her head into her hands. "I'm missing so much. What's wrong with me?"

"Honey, you aren't a machine." Jasper takes Alice's face in his hands so he can look into her eyes. "You're doing the best you can. We have a lot going on. Bella doesn't blame you. Edward doesn't blame you. We need to figure out where this room you see is and try to get back ahead of Victoria."

"Are we meeting them at the airport?" I think we should. We can decide our next move from there. Maybe leaving for a while is a good idea.

"They'll be here in a couple of hours," Jasper says as he tosses the room service menu to me. "Order some lunch and we'll meet them at the airport when you're done." He picks up Alice's sketch. It's the first time I've gotten a good look at it.

"It's a gym or a locker room." They turn to look at me. "That's all weight room equipment and the glass you see is really mirrors. Could be at a school or a regular gym facility or it could be the weight room downstairs."

"How do you see that?" Jasper looks again at the drawing. He turns his head slightly. "Oh, I see now. That's a weight bench and there's a treadmill. But what does it mean?"

"I don't know. Maybe more will come to me. I just see Victoria in this room. She's alone. I haven't seen anything else." Alice gets up and walks to the window. She doesn't open the curtain to look out.

"Is she okay?" I ask Jasper.

"She feels like she failed you and Bella somehow. She'll be okay. Just give her some time." My stomach growls loudly and Jasper smiles. "Order some lunch." He gets up and walks to Alice. She leans into him and sighs.

I can't watch that anymore. It makes me miss Bella so much worse. I pick up the room phone and order another cheeseburger. No lie, the first one was really good. My burger arrives so I dig in. Suddenly my phone vibrates in my pocket. I take it out and see that Renee is calling me.

"Hey, Mom. Is everything okay?"

"Hello, precious child. Isn't that what she called you when you were younger; her precious child? Remain calm and she may call you that again. If you let your protectors know who you're talking to, then she won't see tomorrow. Do we have an understanding?" My heart jumps to my throat. It's James and he has my mother. I croak out a yes. "Well, now that wasn't very convincing. Maybe you should leave the room so as to not arouse any suspicion. Really wouldn't want anything to happen to Mummy, now would we?"

"Okay," I mumble as I go into the bedroom. I mouth 'Renee' to Alice and Jasper before I close the door. "Don't hurt her," I gasp as I collapse on the floor. Where are Esme and Rosalie? They were supposed to protect her.

"As long as you are obedient, Mummy will not be harmed. It's too late for your friends though. As soon as your girlfriend and the men left, Laurent and I took care of the females."

I choke back a sob. Esme and Rosalie are dead and it's my fault. "What do you want me to do?" I can't believe this is happening.

"Go to the airport to meet your little girlfriend and the men. Get away from your bodyguards. Victoria will find you. She's waiting for you actually. Do this and we won't hurt anymore of the people you so foolishly love."

"I'll try," I whisper, knowing he can hear me; hoping that Jasper and Alice can't.

"If you want Mummy to live to see tomorrow I suggest you do a little better than try. Now, go act normal and do as you're told." The line goes dead. I close my phone and hold it to my chest. This can't be happening.

I pull myself to my feet and try to compose myself. How will I ever pull this off? Jasper will know that I'm upset. Alice will see what I'm going to do. This won't work. I have to get myself under control. Maybe if I don't make a decision on what I'm going to do, she won't see. Maybe Jasper will think that something that Renee said upset me. I can get him to calm me down. Who am I kidding? This is never going to work.

I must have been in the bedroom longer than I thought, because I suddenly hear a soft tap on the door. "I'm alright, Alice. I'll be out in a minute." I take a deep breath. I have to go out there and act normal. Yeah, right! I put my hand on the doorknob and take another breath. I open the door to see Alice standing there looking at me with a strange expression. Not exactly worry, but maybe apprehension.

"Who was on the phone?" she demands.

"Renee," I lie.

Alice raises an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?"

"No, not exactly." This is not a lie. Probably the only truth I'll tell today. They'll know soon enough. I will not let anything else happen to any other member of my family. Esme and Rosalie are too much of a sacrifice. No one else will suffer and die because of me. If I have to lie to protect them, then I will lie. "She's upset and angry. Jasper, I think I need you to do your mojo on me now… for both our sakes." I walk over to the couch and sit with my head in my hands. I feel Jasper's hand on my back. I start to calm immediately.

Jasper sighs beside me. "Thanks, Edward. You were getting a bit overwhelming."

"Sorry," I whisper.

"It's okay. Just don't wait so long next time." He pats me lightly on the back, but doesn't remove his hand. I wonder what emotions I'm sending out to him. I'm upset, I know. But surely he feels my grief for Esme and Rosalie; my anger at Victoria and James; my fear about what is going to happen to me when Victoria has me. Maybe there's too much for him to feel each individual emotion. How I hope that's the case.

"I won't. When does their flight land?"

"In an hour," Alice answers. "Jasper is going to go and pick them up."

"We're not all going to meet them?" We have to go meet them. I have to be at that airport, for Renee. James will kill her if I don't do as he said.

"There's really no need for us all to go," she says.

"I think we should all go." Even I can tell that was a little too insistent. I'm a horrible liar.

"Edward," Jasper says as he places a hand on my shoulder, "why are you so anxious?"

"Yeah, why is it so important for us all to go to the airport?" Alice asks, narrowing her eyes at me. Oh, God, she knows.

"I just really want to see Bella. I think we should all go. What if Victoria is waiting for us to split up? What if that's her plan; separate us and attack? I just think that it would be better if we stick together. That's all." I hope that I was convincing.

"He has a point. Maybe it would be better for us to stay together." Thank you, Jasper; always the strategist.

"I don't know." Alice looks at me warily. She's seen something.

"Do you see a problem with either scenario?" I ask. Maybe she'll tell me what she's seen. Knowing how I get away from them would be really helpful right now, since I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to pull this off.

"I see all sorts of things," Alice says looking at me pointedly. "No concrete decisions have been made yet."

"Then I agree with Edward; we stick together." Jasper pats me on the back and I smile. I look at Alice. She's glaring at me.

"Is there something that you need to get off of your chest, Edward?" she asks. Crap, she knows.

"No. Why?" Play dumb and maybe she'll let it go.

"I'll be watching you," she says, pointing a finger at me. She turns and goes back to staring at the curtains. This is not going to be easy.


	20. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Chapter Nineteen**

We're at the airport and I still have no idea how I'm going to get away from Alice and Jasper. Alice has had her hand wrapped around my upper arm since we got out of the car. I'm now certain that she knows I'm up to something. This is pointless. I might as well put a gun to Renee's head a pull the trigger. I'll never get away from Alice and James will kill my mother. It's hopeless.

We're waiting in the arrivals area. I've been scanning my surroundings for Victoria, but so far I've got zilch. Not a red head in sight. Alice keeps looking at me suspiciously. Jasper has asked her several times if something is wrong. She doesn't answer him. She just stares at me and tightens her grip on my arm. She's almost holding me tight enough to cut off the circulation.

"Alice, please, you have to let go of my arm. I seriously can't feel my hand. You've cut off the circulation and it's beginning to hurt. Let go," I say.

"If I let go are you going to go anywhere?" I knew it; she knows.

"Where would I go?" I ask. "I'm in the airport in a city that I know nothing about with no vehicle. Honestly, where would I go?"

"I don't know. You haven't made any concrete decisions yet." She narrows her eyes at me. "I'll let go, but just know that I'm still watching you."

She lets go and I rub my arm where her hand had been. It's definitely going to bruise. Bella will be extremely upset. That's if I ever see Bella again. Now that I've been released I have to figure out a way to escape. Victoria must not be very close because neither Alice nor Jasper is acting like they can smell her. I have no idea where she could possibly be. Finding her will be the proverbial needle in the haystack.

I know that I have to distance myself from Alice and Jasper somehow. I've already eaten, so I can't tell them I'm hungry. Think, Edward, think. You're a smart guy; you should be able to come up with something. Suddenly a man appears next to me with a bouquet of roses and I have an idea.

"Hey, Jasper, do you think there's a gift store or something around here where I could get something like that for Bella?" I ask as I gesture to the bouquet in the guy's arms.

"There's probably a gift shop somewhere in here." Jasper starts to look around. "Yeah, there's a sign. The shops are that way." He starts to walk in that direction. Alice grabs my arm as I start to follow.

"Oh, no you don't." Her grip on my arm is tighter than before. "You aren't leaving my sight."

I try to pull out of her grip. "Geez, what is your problem? I'll be with Jasper. Don't you trust him to keep an eye on me?" Her eyes narrow and she glances at Jasper. I think I hit a nerve.

"I agree with Edward," Jasper says. "You need to loosen up. You're driving me crazy. Come on, Edward. I think we both need an Alice break."

Alice releases me and I follow Jasper. I look back at Alice; she's glaring at me. She points to her eyes and then points at me. I get it; she's watching me. I nod and turn to catch up with Jasper.

"I feel like I need to apologize for her," Jasper says when I get beside him. "She won't tell me why, but she's feeling very suspicious of you. Do you have any idea why she's feeling that way toward you?"

_Well, Jasper, as a matter of fact I do. I think your annoying little wife has seen my future and it doesn't look too bright._ "Not a clue, man. I was hoping you could tell me."

"Makes me wish I could read minds like Bella," he says with a shrug. "Oh well, maybe she'll get over it soon."

As we're walking through the airport, I'm trying to discreetly look around for an avenue of escape. I'm trying to not feel too anxious. I know that I can't outrun Jasper, but I have to try to get away, for Renee's sake.

I can see the airport shops just ahead of us. I can also see the restrooms on my right. I suddenly have an idea. "Um, Jasper, I think I need to step in there for a minute," I say as I gesture to the restroom door.

"I don't know. I don't usually go into restrooms. It's a relatively small room with a lot of people crammed in it; too much of a temptation for me." He looks at the door and is visibly uncomfortable.

"I think that this is something I can do alone. I haven't need supervision in this area since I was a very small child," I smile at him, trying to look innocent.

"If you do something to make Alice take my head off, literally, I won't be happy." He gives me a stern look.

"Jasper, the longer we stand here discussing this, the worse I have to go. Just wait here. I'll be right back." I walk through the door of the men's room. I go into one of the stalls and lean back on the door. Now what do I do? I take a deep breath and step out of the stall. There are a lot of people in here. Jasper is right, he couldn't have handled being in here.

I turn and walk away from the door I came in. At the other end of the room is another door. It's on the opposite wall from the door I came through. I step past a man coming into the restroom and emerge into a different terminal. I look around. I don't see the stores anymore. More importantly, I don't see Jasper.

I start walking; trying to blend into the crowd. I have no idea where I'm going or how to find Victoria. I'm walking with the crowd when a very cold hand suddenly wraps around my upper arm. Crap, Alice has found me. I knew I'd never be able to pull this off. Renee is as good as dead.

"Well, aren't you an obedient young man. I'm going to like that about you." I turn to see Victoria smiling menacingly at me. I shudder and my heart races. "Come with me," she says as she pulls me toward an exit door.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask as she pushes me into a taxi. She doesn't answer me. She hands the driver a sheet of paper and a one hundred dollar bill. He looks at the note and starts to drive. We ride in silence for awhile. She has wrapped her hand around my wrist. Her grip is steadily tightening. "You're hurting me," I whisper to her.

"I haven't begun to even think about hurting you yet, Sweets. The discomfort you're feeling is nothing compared to what you have to look forward to," she whispers back. My breath catches in my throat.

I start to notice that we're in a very bad part of the city. Almost all of the buildings are abandoned. Some of them have condemned signs on them. The driver turns right onto a street lined with storefronts. We drive a few blocks. The driver stops at a corner and Victoria opens the car door. She drags me out of the taxi. I look back at the driver hoping to convey my distress to him, but he never turns around. Come to think of it he stared straight ahead the entire drive. I wonder what was in that note.

I watch my last hope of rescue drive away as Victoria drags me to the back of the buildings. I stumble up the loading ramp of one of the abandoned stores. Victoria opens the door and we go inside. There are no lights on so I'm stumbling around blind. I know that Victoria can see perfectly in the dark. She suddenly flings me across the room. I land hard in the corner. I hit my head on the wall and am temporarily dazed. I close my eyes and shake my head as I try to get my bearings.

"Where are we?" I finally ask. My head is throbbing. I reach up to rub the enormous bump that has formed on the side of my skull. At least I'm not bleeding… yet. I don't think it will be too much longer before I'm bleeding quite profusely. Victoria seems like the torturing type.

I hear Victoria strike a match. She's lighting candles across the room. I can see a little now. What I see is not encouraging; it's the room from Alice's vision. We're in an abandoned workout center. There are mirrors on three walls. Some are cracked. There are a few pieces of workout equipment still in the room. I see the treadmill Alice had drawn. A Nautilus machine is in the middle of the floor. I look a little more closely and notice that there are handcuffs attached to the Nautilus.

"What are you going to do to me?" She hasn't spoken to me since she whispered to me in the taxi. She doesn't answer me now either. She continues to light candles. I stand up to take inventory of my possible injuries. I think the head thing is the worst of it, right now. I rub my wrist where she was holding me and notice the bruising has already started.

I start to walk toward Victoria. "I did what you wanted. James can let my mother go now. I won't put up a fight. Do whatever you want, just please let my mother go and don't hurt anymore of the Cullens."

"Well, aren't you the little hero," she says. She smiles wickedly, showing all of her razor sharp teeth. I shudder at the sight of it. "James doesn't have your mother. He never had your mother." I feel the shock register on my face. Victoria lets out an evil laugh. "And your precious Cullens are fine as well. Not a hair touched on their pretty little heads." She's walking toward me now.

"You… he… it was a lie," I stutter. I fall to my knees and drop my head into my hands. "It was all lies. What have I done?"

"You've done exactly what I knew you would do. Like any human, you sacrificed yourself for the ones you love. It's really a pathetic quality. I hope you don't bring it with you when you're changed." She grabs a handful of my hair and drags me to my feet.

I look into her eyes; those horrible red eyes. "You can change me, but I'll never be your mate. I'll never love you. I love Bella. I always will. I'll leave you to find her. So go ahead and do it now. It doesn't matter. I'll always belong to her."

She laughs and drags me by my hair over to the Nautilus machine. She takes my wrists and locks them into the handcuffs hanging from the equipment. "Silly boy, didn't your little friends explain anything to you?" She walks around behind me as she continues talking. "Once I have bitten you, you will feel like you are burning from the inside out for three days. It will be the most excruciating pain you have ever felt in your entire human life. It will be the most vivid memory you will carry with you into the next life. When you emerge from the burning you will be consumed with bloodlust. For at least a year you will want nothing but blood. You will do nothing but hunt and feed. During this year, your human memories will fade. You will forget about your human mother. You will forget about your childhood. You will forget about your friends." She appears back in front of me. She looks into my eyes. "You will forget about your precious Bella."

"Never," I hiss at her.

"Oh, but you will." She walks back behind me. "I will be with you the entire time. Guiding you, molding you into my mate. You will not remember the love you feel now." She steps back in front of me. She has a video camera in one hand. "You will love me. Shall we begin?"

"What's with the camera?" I ask her.

"I thought that we could make a little movie of our time together for your lady love. I think that she might find your last moments as a human interesting." I see the knife in her other hand then. The blade glints menacingly in the candlelight. She brings the camera up and I see the red light go on. Her hand moves so fast I don't know that she's cut me until I see the knife again with blood on it. I suddenly feel the pain across my chest.

"Ugh! My God, what are you doing?" She's cut me, but not deep enough to kill me, just deep enough to hurt like hell.

"Tell Bella how it hurts. Tell her that you love her. Beg her to save you." She smiles. She's enjoying torturing me. I refuse to speak. She walks behind me again. She reappears with a 2 X 4 board. She walks over and puts the camera on the weight bench. She adjusts something and turns it. Then she walks back over to me. She raises the board and brings it down on my leg.

I hear the bone break and I hear myself scream. I can feel myself losing consciousness. She pulls something out of her pocket and puts it under my nose. I'm suddenly awake again and in extreme pain. I whimper. Oh God, it hurts.

"No, no, Edward. You have to stay awake. You have to tell Bella how it hurts. Beg for your life, Edward. That would break her little cold heart."

"No," I manage to squeak out. "I won't…."

"Oh, but you will." She picks up the knife again and runs the blade down both of my forearms. I scream out again. She licks the knife blade. "Mmm. You really do taste delicious. Even better than you smell." She stabs the knife into my thigh.

"Oh God, just do it already!" I cry out. "Just bite me and get it over with… please!"

"That's it. Beg for it. Let your love hear you beg me to change you." She stabs the knife into my other thigh and licks the knife again.

I scream out, "I love you, Bella!"

Victoria back hands me across the face. My head hits the side of the machine. There is blood this time. It's gushing from the cut on my head faster than any of the other wounds that Victoria has inflicted. I get lightheaded again. She sticks another ammonia swab under my nose. I snap back to consciousness.

"Are you in a lot of pain? Does it hurt? Do you want to die?"

I glare at her. "I will never love you. I will never want you. I will always remember Bella. I will leave you to find her. You might as well just kill me. I will never be your mate." She punches me and I feel my jaw break. I hang my head in defeat. I don't care what she does to me now. She can kill me or she can change me. Either way, I will always love Bella. I will always be thankful that she is safe.

I'm slowly losing consciousness when I hear breaking glass. Victoria must have thrown something at one of the mirrors. Suddenly she's right in front of me. I see her bare her teeth. Before I can figure out what's happening, she bites down on my neck. Then she's gone. I feel the burn in my neck. It's the worst pain I've experienced today. I cry out.

I look around to see where she is and that's when I see Bella. She's fighting with Victoria. They're at each other's throats. "Bella, no," I say, barely above a whisper. I try to get out of the restraints but I'm so weak. My neck it hurting so badly. I can't seem to catch my breath.

"Edward, can you hear me? Stay awake for me, Edward. Don't pass out." I must be dreaming, because Carlisle is here too. My arms are no longer above my head. I'm being lowered to the floor.

"Carlisle? What's happening to me?" I whisper through my broken jaw. I can't get my breath and I feel like I'm on fire.

"Victoria has bitten you and you're changing." He starts pulling things out of his medical bag. "Don't try to talk. She's broken your jaw."

"I know," I say. "Carlisle, it hurts." I think he gives me a shot, but the pain in the rest of my body makes it not really register in my brain. "Bella. Where's Bella?"

"I right here, my love." She takes my hand and gently strokes my cheek.

"I'm so sorry. They lied to me. I thought...." I wince as the pain courses through my body.

"Carlisle, what do we do?" Bella pleads with him. "Can we stop it?"

"I don't know. You could try to suck the venom out."

"You know I won't be able to stop."

"Find the will to stop. You have to make a decision, quickly. He doesn't have much time left. If you want the change to happen then I'll do nothing as far as treating his injuries. If you don't want him to change, then I need to be addressing all of these wounds. Decide now, Bella."

"I don't know. I don't want him to change this way, but I don't think I can stop."

"Decide, Bella!" Carlisle yells at her.

"Bella, let it happen," I say. "I want to be like you; be with you forever."


	21. Epilogue

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**The Gloaming - Epilogue **

**Four Months Later**

My life is very different. I don't remember much after I told Bella to let me change. She's filled in the blanks where she could. Apparently, she tried to suck out Victoria's venom, but couldn't get all of it. I was dying. She didn't want me to die. So, she bit me. She bit the inside of my elbows and my wrists. She bit behind my knees. She bit my neck again. And she was able to stop. Her love for me gave her the will to stop.

And I changed.

I remember everything about the change. It was truly the most painful experience of my life. Victoria's torture was nothing in comparison. But, it was worth it. I have never been happier. I burned in Phoenix, in a condemned warehouse not far from the workout center, for three days. Bella never left my side. I remember her talking to me; telling me that she loved me and that everything was going to be alright.

When I awoke, Bella took me hunting and I had my first taste of animal blood - coyote. Then she filled me in on what had happened. Alice knew what I was going to do all along. She just didn't want me to be hurt, that's why she was trying so hard to prevent my escape. The second Bella saw Alice in the airport she knew and the Cullens came for me. Bella still blames herself for being too late. I tell her all the time that she wasn't too late; that she made it just in time.

Bella coming through the front windows of the workout center was the glass I heard breaking. She was followed by Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, and Alice. Apparently, it was little Alice that delivered the death blow to Victoria. She ripped off the sadistic vampire's head. Go, Alice! She, Jasper, and Emmett pulled Victoria apart and burned the pieces. Good riddance!

I worry a lot about my mother. The Cullens are still in Forks. Carlisle is keeping an eye on her for me. Bella, Alice, and Esme check on her too. I've heard that Alice did a very good job of staging the truck wreck that "took my life." They had to "borrow" an unidentified corpse from the Nipomo, California city morgue to burn in the truck as remains. It was evidently very convincing. I was declared dead. There was a memorial service for me and everything. Emmett videotaped it for me. I haven't been able to watch it yet. I doubt I'll ever be able to watch it. The school even did something for me and there's going to be three _color_ pages in the yearbook devoted to my memory. I achieved popularity in death!

I still feel guilty for leaving Renee behind. She was and still is devastated. One good thing did come out of it though; Renee called Charlie. She found him on the internet and called him a week after I "died." She told him about me. She told him why she left and admitted that it was stupid. And she told him that she never stopped loving him. He had never married. He still loved her too. They're to be married in the spring and she's moving to Phoenix.

I've been staying with the Denalis in Alaska. Tanya and her sisters are very welcoming; Tanya more so than the others. I think she's starting to take the hint and backing off. I belong with Bella. I hunt with Kate most of the time. She's teaching me how to do it neatly. I'm kind of messy. Bella comes up and spends every weekend with me. She's moving up here at the end of the school year. She's not going back to Forks High School in the fall. The story will be that she is finishing high school at a prestigious boarding school in Europe. We're to be married in the fall.

When I met Bella and the Cullens, I never imagined that I would become like them. As my love for Bella deepened I had hoped that she would want me enough to one day change me. I have a lot of regrets in my life. I regret never having known my father. I regret leaving my mother the way I did. But I don't regret my change. Bella is my reason for existing. Every day that I spend with her is the greatest of my existence. And although my human life has ended, my eternal happiness is just beginning.


End file.
